THE 



CHURCH-MEMBER'S 

f$ atutal ani f rager gtok; 

CONTAINING 

A DESCRIPTION OF THE RISE AND PROGRESS OF RELIGION 
IN THE SOUL; 

EXPOSITIONS OF THE NATURE OF THE CHURCH AND OF CHRISTIANITY ; 
AND ALSO 

FORMS OF PRAYER; 

TOGETHER WITH DIRECTIONS AND SUGGESTIONS IN REFER- 
ENCE TO THE DUTIES OF PRACTICAL PIETY ; 

TO WHICH ARE ADDED HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF DISTINGUISHED FEB SOS S 
IN THE CHURCH. 

BY J. &TONEBERGER, 

MINISTER. OF THE GERMAN REFORMED CHURCH, PATTON, MO, 

<£ Lo, I am with you alway" 



CHAMBERSBURG, PA. ; 
PRINTED BY M. KIEFFER k CO. 

1855, 



Copyright secured according to law. 



TO YOU, 

THE DEAR PEOPLE OF GOD, 

AND TO THE MEMBERS OF 

IN PARTICULAR, 

THANKFUL REMEMBRANCE OF OUR JOYS AND DELIVERANCES AND MUTUAL 
BENEFITS, RECEIVED FROM THE GREAT HEAD OF THE CHURCH, 

THIS VOLUME, 

IN HUMBLE PRAYER FOR THE DIVINE BLESSING , 

IS AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED 



PREFACE 



This book has been prepared with a view to supply a 
want in the German Reformed Church. The idea of writing 
it was first suggested by the fact of a church-member hav- 
ing inquired of the writer, if our Church had published such 
a work. Accordingly, after consulting some of my minis- 
terial brethren about the matter, I went forward with the 
enterprise, with such ability as I possessed, and such aid 
as a limited library afforded. I am very sensible of the 
defects of the book ; but my apology for them, is, that it 
was written during such leisure moments as I could com- 
mand in the intervals of ministerial labor and of school- 
teaching, in a very difficult missionary field. 

With regard to the style of the composition, so far as it 
is original, the only apology I have to offer is, that it is the 
author's own. I did not aim at elegance, if even I were 
capable of it. The book is intended for the mass of readers, 
who do not relish refinement of language so much as plain- 
ness and utility. It is hoped, however, it will not be unac- 
ceptable to a more refined and cultivated taste. 

It was not my aim to be entirely original, but to select 



vi. PREFACE. 

the best matter I could find, and compile it for the use of 
the church-member. I have freely used the aid of Matthew 
Henry, and Philip Doddridge, and William Jay, in furnish- 
ing matter for these pages. In preparing the biographical 
sketch of Zwingle, I consulted Dr. Mayer's History of the 
German Reformed Church, D'Aubigne's History of the 
Reformation, and the Life of Zwingle, published by the 
Presbyterian Board of Publication. 

Although the work is designed for the members of the 
German Reformed Church in particular, any evangelical 
Christian will find matter for edification in its perusal. 

I commend the book to the Church, and to that God and 
Saviour, who alone can make it a blessing, and who has 
promised to be with his people to the end. If it will be the 
means of awakening and edifying any of God's dear children, 
it will fulfill the desire of "one of the least among the 
brethren." 

THE AUTHOR, 



CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER I. 

The Nature and Design of the Church, . . - Page 9 

CHAPTER II. 

The Nature and Design of Baptism, and the Duty of Baptized Persons 
growing out of their Relation to the Church— Proof for Infant Bap- 
tism, - - - - a ------ 20 

CHAPTER III. 

An Address to Very Young Persons who have been baptized in In- 
fancy, ----------- 3o 

CHAPTER IV. 

The Duty of the Young to recognize their Obligations and consecrate 
themselves to God, - - - - - - - -S9 

CHAPTER V. 

A Call to those who have not yet been baptized, - - - 45 
CHAPTER VI. 

An Address to Catechumens, or Persons studying the Catechism, with a 
view of joining the Church by Confirmation, - - - - 52 

CHAPTER VII. 

Confirmation, - - - - - - ■* " - -56 

CHAPTER VIII. 

Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, - - 62 
CHAPTER IX. 

Reflections after Communion, ----- = - 73 
CHAPTER X. 

The Church-member considered in Relation to that Branch of the Church 
of which he is a Member, ------ .90 

CHAPTER XL 

Missions, 97 

CHAPTER XII. 

Religious Newspapers— Periodicals and Books, - 100 



vm. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

The Church-member in the Congregation — His Relation to his Pastor and 
the Preaching of the Gospel, ----- Page 103 

CHAPTER XIV. 

The Church-member in the Congregation, continued — His Duty to pro- 
mote Church Psalmody, - - - - - - - 117 

CHAPTER XV. 

The Church-member in the Congregation, continued — Attendance on Pub- 
lic Worship, - .- ._. 131 

CHAPTER XVI. 

The Use and Importance of Sabbath Schools, and the Duty of the Church- 
member in regard to them, • - - - - 143 

CHAPTER XVII. 

The Church-member in the Congregation, continued — His Relation to his 
Fellow-members, - - - - "- - - 148 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

Church Authority and Discipline — Conduct of the Church-member in ref- 
erence thereto — Promoting the Welfare of the Congregation, - 162 

CHAPTER XIX. 

The Church-member's religious Experience — Danger of Declension — The 



steps of Declension pointed out, - - - - - -198 

CHAPTER XX. 

The Church-member falling into open Sin — The means of Recovery point- 
ed out, - -. - ._ 211 

CHAPTER XXL 

Some Suggestions preparatory to Communion in the Sacrament of the 
Lord's Supper. - . - -- -- -- 227 

CHAPTER XXII. 

The Church-member in secret— In the Closet and private Life, - 239 
CHAPTER XXIII. 



The Church-member in the Family — His Duty to use his Influence for the 
Spiritual good of the Family— Family Prayer urged— Forms of Prajf- 



er, 264 
CHAPTER XXIV. 
The Church-member in the Hour of Death, - 306 
CHAPTER XXV. 

Historical Sketches. . . .... . 313 



CHAPTER I. 



THE NATURE AND DESIGN OF THE CHURCH. 

The Church is a divine institution, by means of which God 
reveals himself to man. By the fall and disobedience of 
our first parents, man became ignorant of God, and in this 
condition would have been obliged to grope his way in dark- 
ness down to death. God, however, devised a way by which 
man might have restored to him righteousness and life. 
This restoration is effected through the Church. The knowl- 
edge of Christ comes to us through this divine channel. 
Through the same medium, is imparted to us from God, the 
knowledge of his secret counsel and will concerning our re- 
demption. Through the means of grace in the Church, 
also, the righteousness and life of Christ are applied to us. 
The Church is the bearer of Christ's life. 
As such, the Church is, 

1. A teaching Church. By God's covenant of grace, 
which is well ordered in all things and sure, a people were 
secured, who transmitted the promise of a Redeemer made 
in Paradise, from one generation to another. By God's 
wonder-working providence, Moses was made the medium of 
recording this promise, as also the promise to Abraham, 
that through his seed all the nations of the earth should be 
blessed. Through the Church, with Noah as its organ and 
representative, God taught man, that he was a righteous 
God, and corroborated his teaching by the terrible judg- 
ments of the deluge. Through Moses, chosen from among 
his brethren, he, at another time, taught man the moral law 
1 



10 



THE NATURE AND DESIGN 



written upon tables of stone, By means of prophets in 
great numbers, "rising early and sending them," — as it is ex- 
pressed by Jeremiah,— God taught the Church, and through 
the Church the world, their obligations. But especially by 
Him who spake as man never spake, did the Almighty 
teach man his duty and his destiny. 

The Church is still a teaching Church. It is her duty 
and vocation to carry out the idea of her founder ; to de- 
velop the great truths revealed through the prophets and 
apostles, and especially through Jesus Christ as the chief 
teacher, in their application to present circumstances : thus 
bringing out of the treasury of God's word, things new and 
old, for the edification of itself in its individual members, 
and for the conversion of the world. 

The Church is the medium through which the world is to 
be enlightened and guided. She is, therefore, not to hide 
her light under a bushel. " Ye are the light of the world. 
A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid." The Church is, 
accordingly, an institution ordained of God, for the dissem- 
ination of true religious knowledge among men. 

2. The Church is also the source of a true religious life. 
Man, without a true religious life — by which is meant, a 
nature in harmony with the law and will of God — cannot 
comprehend the truths of the gospel in their length and 
breadth, appreciate them in their Ml significance, nor relish 
them for their great excellence. "But the natural man 
receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God ; for they are 
foolishness unto him : neither can he know them, because they 
are spiritually discerned." "Because the carnal mind is 
enmity against God : for it is not subject to the law of God, 
neither indeed can be." And the Saviour says, "Verily, 
verily, I say unto you, Ye must be born again." 

Man is born into the world with a sinful nature, and he 
is, consequently, dead in trespasses and in sins. In view 



OF THE CHURCH. 



11 



of this deplorable fact, it is said : " Awake thou that sleep- 
est, arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light." 
It is only by receiving life from Christ, that man can ap- 
preciate, or love " the excellency of the knowledge of Christ 
Jesus our Lord." It is only by receiving from him their 
spiritual life, that men can receive from him light, to the 
saving of their souls. Being brought into this state, they 
begin to see the beauty of religion, and the suitableness of 
Christ as their deliverer, their light and life ; and though 
it be at first, with dim vision, so that they " behold men as 
trees walking," yet their vision becomes brighter and bright- 
er. They are in a gracious state, and can say, " The dark- 
ness is past, and the true light now shineth." They are 
translated from nature's darkness into the marvelous light 
of the gospel, and, with the Psalmist, may say, " In thy 
light shall we see light." They are surrounded by a new 
spiritual atmosphere, and live in a new world. " Old things 
have passed away, and behold all things have become new." 
The old man is crucified, dead and buried, and they are 
raised up to a new life. They receive a new principle of 
life, which is the power of God in their souls, transforming 
them into new creatures, producing new desires, new mo- 
tives, new inclinations, new thoughts, new feelings, and new 
actions ; new habits and new courses of conduct. 

Christ is the principle, the source or fountain of this life. 
The beloved disciple John, says : " In him was life, and 
the life was the light of men." " These (things) are writ- 
ten, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son 
of God, and that believing, ye might have life through his 
name." This truth is also expressed by Paul, when he says, 
" Nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me ; 
and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith of 
the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." 

This life is not merely a life of moral influence ; it is 



12 



THE NATURE AND DESIGN 



not merely the effect of ideas and principles— of laws and 
motives. It is this, and much more besides. As has 
already been stated, without a true religious inward life, 
the ideas and principles, the laws and motives of Chris- 
tianity, cannot be carried out to their practical results. It 
is not merely by receiving the truths of the Scriptures into 
the mind and the understanding, that the soul can be re- 
newed into the image of its Maker. There must be an in- 
ward change of the soul, bringing it from the sphere of 
nature, into the sphere of grace. 

Neither is this life the influence of the Holy Spirit in 
itself considered. Many persons may be, as many have 
been, under the influence of the Spirit, in convincing them 
of sin ; and yet resist this influence, and never obtain a true 
religious inward life. It is only when the Holy Spirit works 
faith in them, cooperating with them, and bringing them to 
lay hold on Christ, and become united to him as the branch 
is united to the vine, that they can be said to possess true 
religious life. 

It is this idea, that seems to have been the leading thought 
in the teaching of the apostle John. He calls Christ the 
"word of life." To him, Jesus was a living revelation of 
deity in human form. " That which was from the begin- 
ning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our 
eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have 
handled of the word of life, (for the life was manifested, and 
we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that 
eternal life which was with the Father, and was manifested 
unto us ;) that which we have seen and heard declare we 
unto you, that ye may have fellowship with us, and truly 
our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus 
Christ." The incarnation was to him the central fact of 
Christianity. In it he saw divinity brought down to hu- 
manity, and humanity raised up and joined with the divin- 
ity; thus forming a new life power in the heart of humanity. 



OF THE CHURCH. 



13 



for the redemption of fallen man. It was to him such a 
central fact, because it carried with it the idea of a princi- 
ple, or source of life for the salvation of man. He says : 
" And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal 
life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath 
life ; and he that hath not the Son of God, hath not life." 
Those who receive this life have an unction from the Holy 
One : " But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye 
know all things." They have an anointing, that preserves 
them from fatal errors : " But the anointing which ye have 
received of him, abideth in you, and ye need not that any 
man teach you : but as the same anointing teacheth you of 
all things, and is truth, and is no lie." This was the funda- 
mental truth, that God in human flesh is the fountain of a 
true religious life for man, and in view of this fact, he says : 
" Every spirit," that is, every form of teaching and preach- 
ing:, " that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the 
flesh, is not of God : and this is that spirit of antichrist, 
whereof ye have heard that it should come, and even now 
already is it in the world." 

With regard to this truth, the Saviour himself says : " I 
am the way, the truth and the life." " Except ye eat the 
flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no 
life in you." " This is the bread which came down from 
heaven : not as your fathers did eat manna and are dead : he 
that eateth of this bread shall live forever." Jesus repeat- 
ed the idea of his being the source of a new life, at various 
times and in various ways, illustrating it by many expres- 
sive figures of speech, and when, on one occasion, objection 
was made to these expressions, he answered : " What, and 
if ye shall see the Son of man ascend, up where he was be- 
fore ?" What, if ye shall see him ascend up, and thereby 
prove that he came down from heaven ? " It is the Spirit 
that quickeneth:" as if to say, It is the spiritual life that 
1* 



14 



TEE NATUKE AND DESIGN 



dwelleth in me, that shall reanimate this body. " The flesh 
profit eth nothing," that is : this body must die, thongh it be 
fed and nourished with the best food ; this body is mortal, 
but it must pot on immortality, by means of spiritual 
power. " The words that 1 speak unto you, they are spirit, 
and they are life that is, they express things that relate to 
life, to immortality, to an order of existence beyond that which 
is merely human—to a heavenly existence, an existence 
above nature. This the Jews and some of his disciples 
could not understand ; because they did not view the mat- 
ter right, and had not faith and spiritual discernment. 
Those whose judgments are perverted, and whose hearts are 
held in unbelief, do not receive these truths ; but those who 
are properly indoctrinated, and free from erroneous modes 
of thought, and, besides this, have the anointing from above, 
which teaches them all things, enabling them to comprehend 
the mysteries of the kingdom of God—understand the truth 
and force of these expressions of the Saviour. 

In the next place, it may be remarked, that this life,— 
this new order of existence—is to be found in the Ckfrch. 
The life which dwells in Christ's glorified body in heaven, 
flows over into his people through the medium of the Church. 
At the day of Pentecost, which was the birth day of the 
New Testament Church, this life was poured upon the apos- 
tles in full measure. Prior to this time, under the Old Tes- 
tament dispensation, divine life had been imparted only in 
an occasional way, and to a limited extent. Even the 
apostles did not possess it as fully before, as they did after 
the day of Pentecost ; and for this reason the Saviour said, 
"It is expedient that I go away; for if I go not away the 
Comforter will not come." This was a memorable day, a 
day which prophets and kings desired to see, but saw it not. 
Now the Comforter came, and the Saviour came, and the 
Father came, in obedience to the Saviour's promise, " I will 



OF THE CHURCH, 



15 



come unto you, and we will make our abode with you." 
The triune God entered into a more close and permanent 
union with man, through the man Christ Jesus and the 
apostles and their disciples, accompanying the event with 
divers signs, and miracles, and gifts, of the Holy Ghost. 
Now, as the apostles engaged in breaking bread and in 
prayers, in celebrating the Lord's Supper according to his 
dying command, they realized, as they did not before, the 
meaning of the words, " This is my body, which is broken 
for you ; do this in remembrance of me ;" and of those other 
words, " The bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will 
give for the life of the world." "This is that bread which 
cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof and 
not die." Such is the nature of the Church, that this bread 
and this life are derived through her. By her prayers, her 
worship, and her sacraments, souls are blessed. 

From what has been said of the nature of the Church, her 
design becomes apparent. She is designed to be the chan- 
nel of communication between God and man, for the pur- 
pose of man's redemption. Her mission is to preach the gos- 
pel to every creature. She is to carry out her design until 
the gospel is preached over the whole world, and the knowl- 
edge of the Lord covers the earth, as the waters cover the 
sea. Not only is her existence to be extended over every 
part of the world, but her life and her light are to pervade 
every department of human life. Both art and science, and 
all that employs the human mind, shall be more and more 
penetrated with the sanctifying power of religion. The 
gospel is represented as leaven, that is gradually to leaven 
the whole lump ; and as a grain of mustard-seed, which, in 
the beginning, is the least among herbs, and is yet to be- 
come a great tree, in whose branches the fowls of heaven 
shall rest ; and also, as a stone cut out of the mountains, 
which is to roll till it fills the whole earth. This, however, 



16 



THE NATURE AND DESIGN 



will not be accomplished without many trials and persecu- 
tions. There will be many an advance and retreat before 
a final conquest is achieved. The Church, notwithstand- 
ing, is adapted to accomplish her design. By means of 
her, the Lord will overturn and overturn, until he, whose 
right it is, shall reign. 

Such a divine institution is the Church. As such, she is 
an object of faith. She carries with her a true religious 
life. The Holy Spirit abides in her. Christ, by his grace 
and Spirit, is ever present with her, and the Father pro- 
tects her. The Church, as a visible Church, is the bearer 
of an invisible grace. The sacraments are outward signs 
and seals of an inward and spiritual grace. If we do not 
receive this grace, it is because of our unbelief. The grace 
is still there, though we may not obtain it ; and though it 
may be difficult to determine in what particular individuals 
this life of Christ dwells ; and though the state of religion 
may be low, and many may be in the Church who are not 
of the Church, yet the life and light of the Lord are still 
present in the Church as a whole. He will reserve to him- 
self his thousands, who shall not bow the knee to the image 
of Baal. This fact our faith should firmly take hold of. 
Faith in the Church is as necessary as faith in Christ — that 
is, faith in her as a divine institution, — faith in her because 
Christ is in her ; faith in the Church as a divine institution 
also, is as necessary as faith in Christ as a divine Saviour. 
It is in the Church that Christ is found. He has chosen 
Zion for his habitation. In the Church he reveals himself 
as he does not in the world. In the Church the life and 
light of God's Spirit never goes out ; for the Saviour has said, 
" Lo I am with you always, even to the end of the world." 
" Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God has shined," and 
that more gloriously under the New, than under the Old dis- 
pensation. For, " if the ministration of death, written and 



OP THE CHURCH. 



17 



engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of 
Israel could not steadfastly behold the face of Moses, for the 
glory of his countenance, which glory was done away : how 
shall not the ministration of the Spirit be rather glorious ?" 
The Church is Christ's mystical body, and all her services 
have a divine power in them that is calculated to draw men 
to Christ. 

Let your faith, therefore, in the Church be firm. Look 
for Christ in the Church, and not out of it. " For other 
foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus 
Christ." Here let your roving heart be fixed. Then, if 
any false prophets shall arise, and show great signs and 
wonders, you may be unshaken in mind. " If any shall 
say unto you. Lo here is Christ, and lo there is Christ, be- 
lieve them not. If they shall say to you, Behold he is in 
the desert : go not forth ; behold he is in the secret cham- 
bers, believe it not ; for as the lightning cometh out of the 
east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall the coming 
of the Son of man be." We have seen the light of the 
Son of man in the history of the Church from the beginning 
to the present time. We have seen his power and grace in 
the sanctuary. We have seen the stately steppings of him 
who walks in the midst of the golden candle-sticks, for the 
last eighteen centuries and a half ; and they shall continue 
to be seen until the end of the world, when he shall come 
in power and great glory. As members of the German Re- 
formed portion of the Church of Jesus Christ, let us cherish 
the memory of his grace in our ecclesiastical ancestors. 
Witness the contending and lamented Zwingli ; the mild and 
conciliatory Ecolampaclius ; the industrious and zealous Bul- 
linger ; but especially, the excellent Ursinus and Olevianus ; 
whose faith let us follow, considering the end of their con- 
versation. And as members of the Church Catholic, let us 
cherish the memory of God's grace, wherever we find it. 



18 



THE NATURE AND DESIGN 



Above all, let us admire and adore the person of Him, who 
is the author and dispenser of grace, and who makes his 
people what they are. 

" I love thy kingdom, Lord, 

The house of thine abode, 

The Church our blessed Redeemer saved, 

W ith his own precious blood. * 

b 

I love thy Church, God ! 
Her walls before thee stand, 
Dear as the apple of thine eye, 
And graven on thy hand." 



A PRAYER FOR A CHURCH-MEMBER IN VIEW OF THE CHURCH. 

Lord ! I would bow with humble reverence before thee. Do 
thou accept my approach. Thou art present indeed as a Grod of 
love and infinite glory. Thou hast revealed thyself to man. Bles- 
sed be thy holy name. With gratitude, would I adore thee for the 
light and love thou hast manifested in thy Church. Mine ears 
have been saluted with the sweet sound of the word of life. Thy 
good Spirit has wooed me to thee, when I was yet in the darkness 
of this world's night. When I was yet in the dead, the lifeless 
condition of a child of nature and of wrath, thou didst call upon 
me to turn unto thee and live. Mine eyes have opened on the 
kingdom of grace. Mine has become the unspeakable privilege of 
being born in a Christian land and in sight of the Church. 
may she become my spiritual mother indeed ! 

May I not be permitted to look only upon the outward appen- 
dage, the things which are visible ; but may I be permitted to re- 
alize the presence of the holy and infinite One. May I be ingraft- 
ed into Christ, not merely by outward baptism ; but also by faith 
of the operation of God. May I be enabled to yield myself up 
to thee, as one alive from the dead. May I be so strengthened 
that I shall, by my own free act and from my inmost soul, take 
hold of that which was secured to me in baptism ; and may I have 
the inexpressible privilege of approaching the throne of grace as 



OF THE CHURCH. 



19 



one of thy redeemed children. May I he enabled to enter into 
thy holy sanctuary with those who keep holy-day, with a devout 
heart. May I look upon the soul-melting services of thy house 
and taste that thou art good indeed. Lord, fill me with thy full- 
ness. 

May T he able to walk in the comfort of the Holy Ghost. May 
I realize the communion of saints. May I give thee unceasing 
thanks for the evidences of thy grace, and the continuance of thy 
presence in the Church. May the examples of martyrs and holy 
men of old inspire me with courage ; and may I see them rising 
before me as beacons of light to guide me in my way to heaven. 
May I follow them as they followed Christ ; and amid the waves 
of persecution, and the winds of false doctrine, accompanied with 
the temptations of the world, the flesh and Satan, may my mind 
be kept in perfect peace, by being stayed on thee. May I cheer- 
fully suffer affliction and every calamity of life for thy sake and 
for the Church's sake. May my love to the Church be a contin- 
ual flame, and may I not be separated from the love of Grod which 
is in Christ Jesus. And finally, when my eyes shall close in death, 
inay my spirit return to thee, who gave it, and be with Christ 
above. And to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, shall be praises 
everlasting. Amen. 



CHAPTER He 



THE NATURE AND DESIGN OF BAPTISM, AND THE DUTY OF 
BAPTIZED PERSONS GROWING OUT OF THEIR RELATION TO 
THE CHURCH; PROOF FOR INFANT BAPTISM. 



Baptism is a sacrament which signifies and seals, or secures, 
where the conditions are complied with, the gift of divine 
grace. When the Saviour gave the commission to the apos- 
tles, he said, " Go ye, and teach all nations, baptizing them 
in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost." 
Their teaching and their preaching were to be accompanied 
with baptism and church membership. The nations were 
informed, that, if any were saved, they would be saved only 
by the grace and power going forth from the Church. 
Hence, the disciples of Christ went about preaching and 
ordaining elders in every city, saying, " Repent ye, and 
believe the gospel ; repent ye, and be baptized, every one 
of you, for the remission of sins." 

The nature of baptism, as applied to infants, is such that 
it secures to them the influences of God's Spirit, for the pur- 
pose of producing saving faith in them, and of thus bringing 
them to become partakers of Christ with all his riches and 
gifts. It is, therefore, a means of grace by which God's 
promise of special grace is secured, and by which our obli- 
gations are recognized. " The election of grace " cannot be 
carried out, except by the means of grace. In its nature, 
the grace of our Lord is confined to the means of grace. 
Baptism is one of these, and, we may say, the chief means. 

There is no decree to prevent those who are baptized from 
coming to Christ, and becoming the children of God in 



THE NATURE AND DESIGN OF BAPTISM. 



21 



truth. The way is open to them, in a special manner, to 
come to Christ ; for they have the promise of the Father, 
and the aid of the Holy Ghost. The promise was first 
given to Eve and her seed ; but to make it more effectual, 
God renewed it to Abraham, and accompanied it with the 
sign of circumcision. He said : " I will establish my cov- 
enant between me and thee, and thy seed after thee in their 
generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto 
thee and thy seed after thee," To complete the promise 
and make it still more effectual to the salvation of man, it 
was fulfilled in Christ and accompanied with baptism. See 
third chapter of Galatians. " Now to Abraham and his 
seed were the promises made. For as many of you as have 
been baptized into Christ have put on Christ." Peter, on 
the day of Pentecost, in alluding to the promise being car- 
ried out by means of baptism, said : " Repent and be bap- 
tized—for the promise is to you and your children, and to 
all that are afar off," &c. 

Under the Jewish dispensation, when the conditions of 
the covenant were complied with, it was always fulfilled and 
resulted in salvation. In Abraham the condition was faith, 
which was afterwards signified and sealed by circumcision. 
In his offspring it was faith, which was obtained after, and 
in connection with circumcision. Hence the apostle Paul 
says : " What advantage then hath the Jew ? or what profit 
is there of circumcision ? Much every way — chiefly, be- 
cause unto them were committed the oracles of God. For 
what if some did not believe ? shall their unbelief make the 
faith of God without effect?" Shall their rejection of di- 
vine grace destroy its existence in the means ? It is still 
there, though they may not accept it. Shall their unbe- 
lief destroy its nature ? It is still adapted to accomplish 
the object in view, if the means are used according to the 
design. Baptism, like circumcision, makes its subjects, to 
2 



PllOOF FOR INFANT BAPTISM. 



a certain extent, members of the Church. It secures to 
the children of believers, that to which they are entitled as 
children of Christian parents. As such, they are consider- 
ed as belonging to the Saviour. To this Paul alludes, 
when he says : "Else were your children unclean, but now 
are they holy." That is, they are set apart for a holy pur- 
pose ; to be God's servants, and to be brought up under the 
nurture and admonition of the Lord ; and as they are thus 
considered as set apart, they are entitled to baptism, as a 
means of renewing their hearts and minds, and of forming 
Christ in them. 

Baptism, as thus viewed, is no unmeaning rite ; but it is 
full of the most precious significancy, and most valuable, 
as one of the arms with which God rescues sinners as brands 
from the burning, It is the main channel through which 
God will perpetuate and fulfill his promise of salvation to 
mankind. Persons are sometimes made to doubt the valid- 
ity of infant baptism, because they do not understand its 
nature and design. I would suggest the study of the Bible 
doctrine of infant baptism, as it is set forth in the Heidel- 
berg Catechism. And in connection with that, I would 
refer the reader to other works on the subject, such as 
" Brownlee on Baptism," and " Conrad on Baptism." But 
as there may be some, who will not have an immediate op- 
portunity to 'peruse the works referred to, I will briefly state 
some of the arguments in support of infant baptism. 

1. The nature and design of baptism, as it is gathered 
from the Scriptures, and from the belief of the primitive 
Church, was such, that it secured particular privileges to 
its subjects. 

Baptism was for the remission of sins ; that is, for the re- 
mission of sins so far that it brought the individual into the 
covenanted mercies of God, which he could not lose but by 
his own rejection of them ; or by not following up the grace 



PROOF FOR INFANT BAPTISM. 



23 



secured to him, whether he be an adult or infant. This 
view of the nature and design of baptism is involved in the 
declaration of Peter, on the clay of Pentecost : " Then Pe- 
ter said unto them, Repent ye and be baptized every one 
of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of 
sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit ; for 
the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all 
that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall 
call." 

The nature of Christianity and of the Church, was such, 
that it embraced the Jew and the Gentile in the same order 
of life which existed before, and which was now changed 
only in the manner and means in which it was carried for- 
ward, and in the extent to which these means were adapted 
to carry it. The Gentile was not required to become a Jew 
first. Christianity embraced also the old and the young. 
All stages of our human life, from the cradle to the grave, 
were sanctified by the Lord as his own. Hence he said : 
" Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them 
not ; for of such is the kingdom of heaven." The Church 
is a nursery for the kingdom of God in heaven, and if there 
is room for infants in the kingdom of God in heaven, there 
is room for them in the kingdom of God on earth. 

The design of receiving infants by baptism into the Church, 
is, that they may be brought up in the nurture and admo- 
nition of the Lord. It is not to save them by baptism, if 
they die in infancy ; but, that they may become Christians, 
if they should live, and grow up to be conscious agents of 
their own actions — that they may not become the subjects 
of the kingdom of Satan — that they may not become prod- 
igal sons who shall wander far away, and never return to 
their father's house. 

Baptism is the rite of initiation into the Christian Church. 
It was substituted in the room of circumcision, because it 



24 



PROOF FOR INFANT BAPTISM. 



Letter suited the expansive design of the New dispensation. 
The New dispensation was made broader than the Old ; but 
if infants were not comprehended in it, it would, in that re- 
spect, have become more limited ; which would have been 
contrary to its design. But, if infants are subjects of the 
kingdom of heaven, they are lawful subjects of baptism— 
they are lawful subjects of the seal of the covenant. Such 
was the fact under the Old Testament economy, and as 
baptism comes in the place of circumcision, this constitutes 
an argument in favor of infant baptism, which never can 
be successfully controverted. 

That baptism came in the room of circumcision, is evident 
from the fact, that circumcision was abolished, and baptism 
was instituted as the rite of initiation into the Church. 
Baptism became the door of entrance. 

When Gentiles with their families sought admittance into 
the Jewish Church, they were required first, to be baptized, 
and then circumcised. Christ, however, commanded his 
disciples only to baptize : " Go ye and teach all nations, 
baptizing them," &c. Circumcision was dispensed with, 
and baptism alone retained, for reasons known to God. 
The substance of saving faith was the same ; but the form, 
or way in which it was sealed and produced, was changed 
by divine appointment. " So then, they which be of faith, 
are blessed with faithful Abraham. And if ye are Christ's, 
then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the 
promise." The objects of faith were the same: but the 
scope of vision was enlarged, and the power of divine grace 
increased, and the means of grace were — for reasons known 
to the divine mind — altered to adapt them to existing cir- 
cumstances. 

2. The history of infant baptism shows it to be a part of 
" the faith once delivered to the saints." 

From what has come down to us by the writings of the 



PROOF FOE INFANT BAPTISM. 



25 



primitive fathers of the Church, we learn, that it was prac- 
ticed in their day, and that it was received by them from 
the Apostles. 

Origen, who lived and wrote about two hundred years 
after the death of Christ, and about one hundred and fifty 
after the apostle John, says : " The Church received from 
the Apostles a tradition to baptize little children also. For 
they knew as stewards of the divine mysteries, that there 
existed in all the stain of sin, which needs to be washed 
away by water and the Spirit, whence even the body itself 
is styled a body of sin." 

Cyprian also, who lived in the same age, boldly defends 
the Church as a divine institution. 

iSTot only does he speak of baptism as a grace-bearing 
sacrament ; but he everywhere speaks of the theory of Chris- 
tianity, out of which infant baptism grew, and became com- 
mon, as the theory or doctrine which was received from 
Christ and his apostles. 

He endeavored, in the fear of God, and with a heart over- 
flowing with love to Christ, and to the souls of men, to car- 
ry out the spirit of the command of our Saviour,- — "Go ye, 
and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the 
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." 

He viewed baptism as securing an interest in Christ, 
which those who were baptized could not lose, except by 
relapsing into sin, and refusing to repent, and rejecting the 
admonitions of the Church, and thus crucifying the Lord 
afresh, and putting him to an open shame. 

At one time he speaks of a dispute about the time when 
infants should be baptized. The dispute was not, whether 
they should be baptized at all. This was not denied ; but 
whether they should not be baptized till the eighth day 
- after birth, according to the analogy between baptism and 
circumcision. Cyprian maintained that it should be admin- 
istered as soon as possible. 2* 



26 



PROOF FOE INFANT BAPTISM. 



After speaking of even grievious sins forming no bar —in 
the case of adults — to their being graciously received in this 
holy sacrament, he says : " How much less should the in- 
fant be debarred, which, being recently born, has not yet 
sinned at all, save as being naturally born from Adam, it 
has contracted the contagion of original death, and which 
is the better prepared more easily to receive the remission 
of sins, for the very reason that the sins to be remitted are 
not of itself, but from abroad." Such a thing as denying 
infant baptism was not thought of ; but on the contrary, 
its importance was argued and urged most strenuously by 
Cyprian. 

Another historic testimony we find in Tertullian, who 
lived about one hundred and seventy years after the death 
of Christ, and one hundred and ten after the apostle John. 

Tertullian, it is true, opposed infant baptism; but not on 
the ground that it was not of apostolic origin. This he 
admitted. Indeed no one dreamed of opposing it on that 
ground, at that day. Tertullian, however, was the only 
person during the first several centuries, who advocated ex- 
clusive adult baptism ; and this position he assumed, as he 
thought, for reasons of expediency. He had curious no- 
tions with regard to baptism ; notions that differed from the 
then existing general opinion on the subject. His opinion 
was that sins committed after baptism, were much more 
heinous, and consequently more dangerous, than those com- 
mitted before baptism— that they were nearly, if not entire- 
ly, unpardonable. He viewed baptism as, in some way, se- 
curing the remission of sins absolutely and entirely. Hence 
he advised a delay of baptism to infants and young persons 
to more mature age, and even to a death-bed. A strange 
notion this ! He offered no objection, however, to infant 
baptism, as being a new practice, or against the common 
custom of the Church. This he would have done, most as- I 



PROOF FOR INFANT BAPTISM. 



27 



suredly, if there had been room for objecting to it in this 
way. 

His advice, however, was not taken to any great extent, 
and the common doctrine and practice of baptism con- 
tinued. 

Another testimony is that of Irenseus. Irenseus was the 
disciple of Poly carp, and Poly carp was the companion of the 
apostle John. 

Irenseus was in the habit of calling baptism regeneration, 
meaning thereby that actual regeneration followed, or went 
along with baptism, when the conditions were complied with. 
In the case of adults, if there was a sincere desire of heart 
for the remission of sin through Christ, that desire was 
gratified, through the means of baptism and church-mem- 
bership. The longing of the soul for redemption was satis- 
fied by embracing Christ in the way which he himself has 
appointed. In the case of infants, if they would not resist 
the influence of the Spirit, it would result in their regener- 
ation. With this view, it seems, he says, " Christ came to 
save those who by him are regenerated (i. e. baptized) unto 
God ; both infants, and little ones, and young men, and 
elderly persons." He considered baptism to be intended 
for all ages ; hence he was accustomed to say, that Christ 
became a child to save children ; he became a youth to save 
youth ; and he became a man to save us in manhood. If 
Jesus sanctified the stages of infancy, and youth, and man- 
hood, as his own, it was but the natural promptings of his 
heart, that led Irenseus to claim for them baptism, as a 
means of securing the end in view. Infant baptism, aside 
from any other testimony, springs from the very nature of 
the Christian salvation, which is designed for all ages and 
conditions of men. 

Another witness on the subject is Augustine, who lived 
and wrote during the beginning of the fifth century, and 



28 



PROOF FOR INFANT BAPTISM. 



who was intimately acquainted with the theology of his time. 
Like Origen, he argued the truth of the inherent sinfulness 
of our nature, from the fact of infant baptism being true. 
In contending with Pelagius, he said, " That infants are by 
all Christians acknowledged to stand in need of baptism, 
which must be in them for original sin, since they have no 
other." Again, he says : "If they have no sin, why are 
they accepted to the use of Church baptism ? Why are 
they washed with the laver of regeneration, if they have no 
defilements ?" 

Pelagius felt himself sorely embarrassed by this argu- 
ment, and when charged with inconsistency, he said : " Men 
slander me, as if I denied the sacrament of baptism to in- 
fants." Further he says : " I never heard of any, not even 
the most impious heretic, who denied baptism to'infants." 

Augustine, pressing his opponents on this point, observes : 
" Since they grant that infants must be baptized, as not 
being able to resist the authority of the whole Church, which 
was, beyond doubt, delivered by the Lord and his apostles, 
they must grant that they need a mediator and have origi- 
nal sin." 

The above historic testimony, the witnesses standing in 
a position which enabled them to know the facts, fully 
proves infant baptism to have been practiced as far back as 
the time of the Apostles. But aside from the express dec- 
larations of the witnesses of primitive times, the very fact, 
that it was generally practiced in the second and third cen- 
turies, without any one to oppose this practice, except Ter- 
tullian, and he only for reasons founded on his own specu- 
lations, and not on the ground that it was an innovation, 
shows it to have sprung from "the apostles' doctrine," and 
from " the faith once delivered to the saints." To suppose, 
that such a theory of the Church and of baptism, as is known 
to have existed only one hundred years after the apostles 



PROOF FOR INFANT BAPTISM. 



29 



were in their graves, to be a new theory, different from that 
which existed in the beginning of the Christian Church, is 
to suppose a moral impossibility. 

There is not the least shadow of evidence on the pages of 
history, that any such change took place, and yet such must 
have been the case, if infant baptism is not true. I repeat, 
it was impossible for infant baptism, and the corresponding 
view of its nature, and of the nature of the Church, to come 
into use, if it did not spring from the doctrine according to 
godliness. As little could the renublican government of 
the United States have been handed down, by legal succes- 
sion, from the king of England ; and as little could the Rev- 
olutionary War have taken place, with its precedents and 
consequences, within the last three hundred years, and no 
mention be made of it on the pages of history, by which fu- 
ture generations could judge what had happened ; as such 
a revolution in Christianity could have occurred, leaving 
behind no evidences of its having taken place. 

We have an evidence of the truth of Christianity in the 
fact, that its founders had no motive to act the impostor. 
To suppose that Christ and his apostles, with all their self- 
denials, persecutions, sufferings and deaths before them, 
would have contended for a falsehood, is to suppose an im- 
possibility. We have a similar evidence for the truth of 
infant baptism. For, to suppose that the primitive Church 
should have contended for it as a part of the " faith once 
delivered to the saints," knowing it not to be such, is mor- 
ally impossible. But Christianity is true, and infant bap- 
tism also is true. 

It is indeed admitted, that, in the beginning of the Chris- 
tian Church, infant baptism was not so general as afterwards. 
This is owing to the fact, that so many adults were received 
into the Church from among the heathen, as was necessarily 
the case in establishing the Church where it had not exist- 



30 



PROOF FOR INFANT BAPTISM. 



ed. And although house-hold baptism was practiced from the 
beginning, yet it was limited, from the fact, that a man was 
" set at variance against his father, and the daughter against 
her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother- 
in-law, and a man's foes were they of his own household." 
But when the Church became established, infant baptism 
became more universal. 

3. It is sometimes objected, that there is no Scripture 
proof for infant baptism. But it must be recollected, that 
the analogy or agreement of one portion of Scripture with 
another, and the spirit of Scripture, is of vastly more im- 
portance than isolated passages. With this fact in view, 
we have direct and positive evidence in the New Testament 
in favor of infant baptism. The evidence is the following. 

It is well known, that the Jews were in the habit of re- 
ceiving their children into the Church by circumcision. 
Each male child was received when it was eight days old, 
according to the command of the Lord. The female was 
constituted a member of the Jewish Church, by the male 
members of the family being circumcised. When Gentile 
families were received, they were also, in addition to the 
former rite, baptized. Such were the customs and usages 
of the Old Testament Church ; and to these customs, with 
the promise made to Abraham, on which they were founded, 
Peter alluded in his sermon to the multitude at the outpour- 
ing of the Spirit: " Repent ye, and be baptized every one 
of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of 
sin ; for the promise is unto you, and to your children, and 
to all that are afar oft', even as many as the Lord our God 
shall call." 

The Jews were in the habit of receiving their children 
into the Church by the appointed rite. They were in the 
habit of considering it as securing to them spiritual blessings 
to some extent, though these blessings were often abused 



PROOF FOR INFANT BAPTISM. 



31 



and perverted ; and it required strong arguments to induce 
them to give up their accustomed usage of circumcision, 
when they became Christians. It called forth a severe and 
protracted controversy, as may be seen from the writings 
of the Apostles. But if, besides this, they had been re- 
quired to give up any and every rite, by which their infants 
could have been recognized, as members of the covenant of 
Abraham, there would have been a still severer opposition, 
and a sharper controversy, than that about circumcision. 
"What ! deny us the privilege of embracing our children in 
baptism, which you nevertheless say, secures such great 
blessings as the promise of the Holy Ghost ? If infants 
' had been denied baptism as well as circumcision, the epis- 
tles would have been full of controversy on this very point; 
but, as it is, not a word has been said about it. The Scrip- 
tures are silent, and this silence is direct, positive proof for 
infant baptism. 

To this conclusion we come with irresistible necessity. 
We have been constrained to say thus much, because we 
deem the subject one of vital importance. Infant baptism, 
though of divine origin, and a great means of grace, has 
been abused, and often misunderstood by those who prac- 
ticed it. On the other hand, it has been opposed, and this 
opposition, though " a falling away " from " the doctrine of 
Christ,'' and the analogy of faith," assumes to be the high- 
est type of Christianity. Alas 1 that it cannot, or will not, 
see its error. 

We hope in God, that a better day is dawning on the 
Church and the world, and we shall pray, that the good 
Lord may hasten it, in its time. We would simply ask the 
opposers of infant baptism, to look at the proofs in its fa- 
vor, and beware lest they be found fighting against God. 
- We would ask them to ponder the denunciations of the Sa- 
viour against those who offend his " little ones." Are not 



32 



PROOF FOR IXFAXT BAPTISM. 



the opposers of infant baptism hedging up the way, and 
preventing the rising generation from coming to Christ, and 
becoming te*little ones indeed ? We know they do not 
professedly do this ; but do they not practically do it ? Do 
they not neglect the souls of the young ? Does not the ne- 
glect, as well as the abuse, of infant baptism, result in a 
wide-spread defection of the children of believing parents, 
from the Church and from God ? Such will be its result 
sooner or later ; because it is a changing of God's order 
for human inventions ; or, at best, a retaining only half the 
means of grace which are of divine appointment. 

The covenant blessings, secured to infants in baptism, 
undoubtedly often are the means of their regeneration and 
conversion. The Church, under the Old dispensation, af- 
forded great advantages. How much more does the New, 
which is superior to the Old ? Paul says : " What advan- 
tage then hath the J ew, or what profit is there of circumcision? 
Much every way : chiefly, because unto them were commit- 
ted the oracles of God." Much everyway — much, both in 
a social and political respect, under the theocracy ; and 
much in a religious respect : but chiefly, because to them 
were committed the oracles of God : chiefly, because to them 
were secured the means of grace — spiritual influences to 
produce faith. This is more eminently true of the New dis- 
pensation, of which baptism is the initiatory and sealing 
ordinance. And notwithstanding the abuse of infant bap- 
tism, its benefits may still be seen by the impartial observ- 
er. Even in Baptist churches, it has been noticed, that 
generally those members, on whom they themselves place 
most reliance, and in whom they repose the greatest confi- 
dence, are persons who were baptized in infancy. 

How it can be that baptism can be an advantage to in- 
fants, it is not our province to explain. There are a great 
many things, the cause and mode of which we do not know ; 



PROOF FOR INFANT BAPTISM. 



33 



but the fact of which we do know. Thus, for example : 
" The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou nearest the 
sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, nor whith^ 
er it goeth, So is every one that is born of the Spirit." 

Will not the words of the Saviour apply to those who 
oppose infant baptism, when he says : " But whoso shall 
offend one of these little ones which believeth in me," or 
we might say, whoso shall prevent, or deny all the means of 
grace to those who might be brought to believe, " it were 
better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neckj 
and that he were drowned in the depths of the sea." 

The subject, as here presented, is not based on our own 
reason, nor founded on our own opinions of expediency ; but 
on the conviction, that it is in agreement with the faith of 
the Church, and with the Holy Scriptures. And though 
the truth may be rejected, and obscured for a while on this 
subject, we are persuaded that it will finally triumph* 
" Truth is mighty and will prevail." 

Though our Baptist brethren may smite us down with 
their pharisaic, but mistaken, zeal, they shall hear our de- 
fense, and witness our rising to cast oS unjust imputations, 
and to maintain the truth of Christ and the truth of histo- 
ry ; for we have a strong and abiding conviction that if the 
truth of God is destined to prevail, then that system of re- 
ligion, of which infant baptism forms a part, is destined to 
triumph. And in reference to it, we may say : 

" Truth crushed to the earth will rise again, 

The eternal years of God are her's, 

"While error writhes in pain 

And dies amidst her worshippers. " 

3 



81 



PROOF FOR INFANT BAPTISM. 



A PRAYER FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF CHRIST'S KINGDOM. 

thou glorious and unchangable Jehovah ! who hast revealed 
thyself in the person of thy incarnate Son, for the purpose of our 
salvation ; and who, in the person and offices of the adorable Re- 
deemer, as well as in thy immutable character* art the same ves- 
terday, to-day, and forever; I adore, love, and praise thee for the 
manifestation of thy Truth, and I beseech thee, for the sake of 
Him " who was, and is, and is to come," to guide me into a knowl- 
edge of the truth as it is in Jesus. 

O grant, almighty G-od ! that selfish prejudice, and selfish party 
spirit may be banished from my mind, and from the minds of all 
who name thy name, that all may see clearly their duty and act 
accordingly. 

May the abuses of the sacrament of baptism be speedily remov- 
ed, so that thy word may have free course and be glorified ; so that 
the commands of Him, to whom is given all power in heaven and 
earth; who is the king eternal, immortal, invisible and only wke 
G-od ; who is the only absolute and eternal king, being king of 
kings and lord of lords, may be obeyed, and so that thy people 
may realize the fulfilment of his words : " Go ye, therefore, and 
teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and 
of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit : teaching them to observe all 
things whatsoever I have commanded you : and lo, I am with you 
always, even to the end of the world." These things I ask for 
thy name and glory's sake. Amen. 



CHAPTER III. 



AN ADDRESS TO VERY YOUNG PERSONS WHO HAVE BEEN BAP- 
TIZED IN INFANCY. 



Dear young friends : — You have been baptized with Chris- 
tian baptism. Your parents, or sponsors, with hearts over- 
flowing with affection for you, and for their Lord, have con- 
secrated you to him, for the purpose of securing your eternal 
welfare. In this solemn transaction their bosoms were 
moved with emotions too deep for utterance. They have 
done that which it was their duty to do. They have done 
much for you. They have followed you with their pray- 
ers, and perhaps with their tears. They have dropped 
the tear of affection upon your infant cheeks, as you lay 
unconscious in their arms. They have looked upon you, 
and their prayers have ascended to heaven in your be- 
half. But they can do no more. It is for you to say, 
whether you will harden your hearts, and reject that for 
which they have consecrated you, and for which they have 
prayed, namely, the influence of the Spirit, to create you 
anew in Christ Jesus. It is for you to say, whether you 
will suffer yourselves to be brought up in the way in which 
you should go, or whether you will neglect so great salva- 
tion as has been provided for you. 

Dear young friends! in this solemn sacrament, Jesus, 
who is ever present in grace and Spirit, comes near and 
takes you into his arms. His large heart is beating with 
love toward you. He adopts you as his own children. You 
belonged to him before ; but now the assurance that you are 
his, is made doubly sure. He takes a special interest in 



30 



ADDRESS TO YOUNG PERSONS 



you ; for he says, " He that reeeiveth such a little child in 
my name, reeeiveth me." But do not suppose, that your 
baptism will save you, if you do not yield yourself to God's 
control, and to the control of your parents, and to the con- 
trol of the Church. For he says : " Why call ye me Lord, 
Lord, and do not the things which I say." And in another 
place it is said : " Children, obey your parents in the Lord ; 
for this is right." And again : " Remember them that are 
over you in the Lord, and admonish you, and esteem them 
very highly in love, for their work's sake." And again it 
is said : " Whatsoever the Church shall bind on earth shall 
be bound in heaven, and whatsoever the Church shall loose 
on earth, shall be loosed in heaven." 

If you are baptized, you belong to Christ in an especial 
manner. You should love, serve, and obey him from the 
first dawn of your reason. So soon as you know right from 
wrong, you should pursue the right, and do that which is 
well-pleasing in the sight of God. Do not suppose, that 
you are at liberty to sin, because you have not yet been con- 
firmed, and received into full connection with the Church. 
It is your duty to renounce Satan and all his works, and to 
repent, and do better day by day, in order that you may 
live and die happy. You should remember, that Jesus was 
a child like you, and yet he did no sin, and that it is your 
duty to be like him as near as possible in goodness ; for you 
have been baptized in his name and for his service. how 
great and awful is the sin of refusing to obey the Lord, 
after you have been so affectionately taken into his arms of 
mercy ! How fearful is the guilt of thus crucifying the 
Lord afresh and putting him to an open shame ! let me 
entreat you, in the language of Scripture, " To day if ye 
will hear his voice, harden not your hearts." 

You should regulate your conduct by the precepts of 
God's law. You should search the Scriptures, as they are 



BAPTIZED IX INFANCY. 



37 



set forth in the catechism ; for there the truths are contain- 
ed, upon the proper understanding and practical influence 
of which your happiness depends. Remember, that " the 
fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, and a good under- 
standing have all they that keep God's law." Use no pro- 
fane language. Order your conversation in the fear of 
God. Think how Jesus would speak, were he still present 
with you in the flesh. Remember the command : " Thou 
shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain." 
Remember the Saviour's eye is upon you. His ear hears 
you. " Fear God and keep his commandments, this is the 
whole duty of man." If you cast off fear, your heart will 
be hardened, and the Saviour will cast you off. If you de- 
ny him, he will deny you also. "Remember the Sabbath 
day to keep it holy." Spend this day in a religious way, — ■ 
in hearing the gospel — in attending Sabbath school, or in 
reading the Bible and other good books, and in meditation 
and prayer. Commit to memory the ten commandments, 
the articles of faith, the Lord's prayer, and the whole cate- 
chism, and practice what is there taught. Love Jesus, who 
came from heaven to save you. Follow his example, and 
increase in wisdom as you grow in years. Even Jesus, who 
came from heaven, needed to meditate and pray ; how much 
more you who have everything to learn? Study your sins, and 
study your duty. You will one day be called to give an 
account. Sooner or later, you must appear at the judgment 
seat of Christ, and then, if you have not done your duty, 
your condition will be awful indeed. 

Moreover, if you harden your heart by a course of sin 
in your youth, there is great danger that Christ will leave 
you to yourself in after years. "Remember," therefore, 
" now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, when the evil 
days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt 
say, I have no pleasure in them." 
3* 



38 



ADDRESS TO YOUNG PERSONS. 



A PRAYER FOR A YOUNG PERSON, WHO HAS BEEN BAPTIZED. 

Lord, I have reason to thank thee, that thou hast given me 
Christian parents, who have watched over me, and cared for me, 
and given me to thee in baptism. may not their prayers, and 
tears be in vain. Lord, I am vile and sinful ! I am inclined to 
do evil, as the sparks are inclined to fly upward. My angry pas- 
sions have often led me to murmur, and to disobey my dear pa- 
rents. And thee, Lord, have I offended. Thy Spirit have I 
grieved, and my Saviour have I rejected. Have mercy upon me, 
Lord j for I have sinned. Draw me from the flames, that would 
kindle upon me, and suffer me not, I beseech thee, to wander far 
from thee, as those that perish. 

May J esus be my Saviour. May my faith in him be confirmed. 
May my soul be renewed, and made like that of my dear Saviour ; 
and may I serve thee in newness of spirit. Help me to consecrate 
all my time to thy service. If many days should be allotted me 
in this life, may they be spent for thee ; or if few days should be 
given me, may I not neglect them and lose my soul. Help me 
now to obey thee. Help me now to love thee, and serve thee, 
that, when I am taken from this world by the hand of death, I 
may know thee and serve thee, and grow in grace and knowledge 
in the world to come. And praises everlasting shall be ascribed 
to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, Amen. 



CHAPTER IT 



THE DUTY OF THE YOUNG TO RECOGNIZE THEIR OBLIGATIONS, 
AND CONSECRATE THEMSELVES TO GOD. 



Presuming that you have felt your obligations to live a 
holy life from your very infancy, I would remind you that 
you are yet a sinner, and that what you have been enabled 
to accomplish, is owing to divine grace. Job, when left to 
himself, being deprived of the protecting hand of Jehovah, 
and left to the mercy of Satan, to be tempted by him, mur- 
mured against his God. Peter, when tempted by Satan 
and his own wicked heart, denied his Lord ; and even went 
so far as to become guilty of using profane language. His 
protestations to the Saviour : " Though all shall be offended, 
yet will not I," and " If I should die with thee, I will not 
deny thee in any wise," became a rope of sand. Alas ! has 
not this, in effect, been the case with you ? Have you not 
often murmured against the ways of Jehovah? Have you 
not often denied your Saviour, and in effect acted and felt, 
as if you were under no obligations to him ? Too true is 
it, that you have been guilty, and that you have cause, like 
Peter, to weep the bitter tears of repentance. But the 
mercy of God alone is your refuge. It is this alone, that 
can cover your remaining sins and infirmities. The right- 
eousness of Christ alone, is your plea for acceptance before 
God. The one sacrifice of Christ accomplished on the cross, 
alone is the price of your salvation. 

But I would call your attention, with all the solemnity I 
am capable of, to the fact, that this righteousness, and this 



40 



DUTY OF THE YOUNG. 



sacrifice, to become yours, involves a progressive obedience 
on your part. "For it is impossible, that those who are in- 
grafted into Christ, should not bring forth the fruits of 
thankfulness." It is the design of the Christian salvation, 
that those who are baptized, should bring forth the fruits 
of a truly religious life. In order, therefore, that you may 
have your fruit unto holiness, and in the end everlasting life 
for yourself : and in order that you may be instrumental in 
carrying forward the work of God, in the salvation of others, 
it is necessary, that, when you arrive at years of sufficient un- 
derstanding, you should take upon yourself the vows made by 
your parents or sponsors, in your behalf, at your baptism, 
and become a member of the Church in full connection. If 
you are not willing to do this, your baptism will be of no 
avail to you ; for, it is a proof that you have entirely re- 
jected the influence of the Spirit, and have thus, so far at 
least, received the grace of God in vain. 

By baptism, you have been, to some extent, ingrafted 
into Christ. You have been brought within those influences, 
which are calculated in their nature to nourish you into 
spiritual life. You have been brought into a special rela- 
tion to Christ, and the promise of God, that he would be 
nearer to you, than he otherwise would have been, is secu- 
red to you. To you the Saviour comes first, as he came 
first to the Jews, and says: " Come unto me, all ye that 
labor, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest/' To 
you his ministers come first, as the Apostles were comman- 
ded first to preach the gospel in Judea, and when the Jews 
would not hear, then only to turn to the Gentiles. You 
have had the blessings of the gospel brought within your 
reach ; but if you reject them, your privileges will be useless. 
You have been given to Christ in baptism, and your salva- 
tion is secured, if you will accept the grace that' is offered. 
And not only is life offered you ; but you are under the 



DUTY OF THE YOUNG. 



41 



most solemn and pressing obligations to take up your cross 
and follow Christ. You have been brought to the vestibule 
of the Church ; but it is for you to say, whether you will go 
from the Church into the world. It is for you to say, 
whether you will walk away from Israel's gentle shepherd, 
who has taken you as a lamb, into his arms. It is for you 
to say, whether you will walk away, as a prodigal son, from 
your father's house. No doubt you have already done so, 
to some extent : but let me entreat you to return. Let me 
entreat you, not to remain a moment in the haunts of sin, 
or the paths of vice. Eesolve immediately : "I will arise 
and go to my father, and say : Father, I have sinned 
against heaven and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to 
be called thy son, receive me as one of thy hired servants." 
Delay not a moment the time of your return ; but upon the 
first opportunity, seek to identify yourself with the people 
of God, by your own act. 

To urge you to this step, let me remind you, that God 
did not establish his Church in vain, or that it should be 
treated with neglect. For, upon the Church, he has hung 
the most precious hopes of the world. In the Church he 
has placed those means, which are designed for the edifica- 
tion of its members, and without which, those persons who 
have been baptized, become branches which bear no fruit, 
and are taken away. They have been ingrafted ; but they 
have not received the sap of the vine, which is Christ. 
They have been planted in the likeness of Christ's death ; 
but they do not rise in newness of life. They have been 
brought, some distance, on their way from the Egypt of 
sin ; but they refuse to go any farther, and will rather die 
in the wilderness, than advance to the promised land. But 
as the Lord commanded Moses, saying : " Speak to the 
children of Israel, that they go forward," so he commands 
you, " Go forward." You have no security for your soul 



42 



DUTY OF THE YOUNG. 



but in going forward. You are surrounded by many 
enemies. 

Behold Satan, the adversary of your soul, seeking your 
destruction ! If you are left under his power, you must 
fall. He will entice you. He will seem to be your friend. 
He will decoy you, and lead you into a deceitful security— 
a security in sin. He will control your thoughts and your 
will, and you will be led a willing captive by him wherever 
he may lead you. May the Lord save you from his power ! 
Behold your own deceitful heart, how it prompts you to 
wickedness ; how it urges you to cast off fear and restrain 
prayer ; how it suggests doubts, and strengthens unbelief. 
It is the heart and Satan, that suggest the wicked thought, 
expressed in Malachi : " It is vain to serve God : and what 
profit is it that we have kept his ordinances, and that we 
have walked mournfully before the Lord of hosts ?" The 
heart is utterly deceitful, and desperately wicked, who can 
know it ? May the Lord save you from your own heart ! 

Behold the world, with its enticing allurements, seeking 
to drown men in perdition. It pleads for sinful amusements. 
It beckons to you to come and go in the way of evil men. 
It promises you the most delightful pleasures. It ever 
stands ready to engulph the unwary in the meshes of wick- 
edness. Evil men grow worse and worse. May the good 
Lord save you from the evil influences of this world ! 

Dear young friends, do you not fear all these enemies ? 
If you do not, it is an evidence, that you have already wan- 
dered far from Christ. It is an evidence, that you have 
grieved him, and that he has left you to the influence of 
your own ways. But he still calls upon you to stop, and 
return. By his ministers— by his Church— by your parents 
— and by the Holy Spirit, he calls upon you to return. 
Think upon your sins. Think upon your miseries, in this 
world and in the next, if you refuse to obey your Lord. Think 



DUTY OF THE YOUNG. 



43 



upon the hour of dissolution, when all that is in this world, 
will have an end to you — when you can no more expect to 
take pleasure in the prospects before you in this life — when 
you must look into eternity, and feel that you must now 
enter it. Think of the fact, that none but an almighty Sa- 
viour can help you then, As you value your own soul, 
therefore, fly to the extended arms of Jesus. Be willing to 
be led by him, and be willing to serve him in the way which 
he has prescribed. 



A PRAYER FOR A YOUNG PERSON IN VIEW OF HIS RELATION TO 
THE CHURCH. 

Lord, I approach thee with the deepest reverence. I am 
amazed and confounded in view of thy terrible majesty ; for I 
have sinned against thee j against thee and thee only have I done 
evil in thy sight, I have not only disobeyed my loving parents 
and friends ; I have not only rejected and despised the tender 
sympathies and solicitude of those who have been interested in 
my behalf; I have not only rejected the supplications and tears 
of those who cared for my soul ; I have not only done violence to 
those affectionate friends, whose entreaties and admonitions were 
as chords around my heart j but I have broken away from thee, 
my heavenly Father, who hast loved me with an unutterable love j 
a love stronger than death ; a love that prompted the sacrifice of 
thine only begotten Son upon ihe cross, 

1 have pursued the pleasures of sin j but I awake and find my- 
self miserable I am without Q-od and without hope in the world, 
and in the future, misery everlasting is my portion, if thou dost 
not redeem me. Grod, have mercy upon me. Thou knowest the 
language of my heart. From the depths do I cry unto thee. I 
feel that thou art just and holy and good ; and though thou shouldst 
condemn me to everlasting pains, I could not but feel humbled, 
and cry for mercy. Thy mercy ! thy sweet mercy ! may it be ex- 
tended to me, Am I not assured from thy word : " The sacrifi- 



DUTY 0£ THE YOUNG, 



ces of G-od are a broken spirit. A broken and a contrite heart, 
Lord, thou wilt not despise." Lord, if my heart is not sufficient- 
ly broken, break it still more. Soften it, that it may be sensible 
of its need, and sensible of tby mercy. 

And now Lord, help me to turn my eyes to the Church. May 
1 find there the home of my spirit. May I have a hungering and 
thirsting after the righteousness there revealed. And'if I have 
wandered in heart from thy house of prayer— which I confess, 
with deep humiliation I have— may I now retrace my steps. May 
I now begin to return. May I delight to tread thy courts as in 
former days, and may 1 follow in the footsteps of those who have 
gone to their reward. Lord, I trust I experience a sincere de- 
sire for the bread of life. I trust I feel that I have a famishing 
soul. Do thou convey me, by thy grace, to the new heavens and 
new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Do thou lead me to 
the land of uprightness, that I may be blessed with the provis- 
ions of thy heavenly bounty. May those sweet sounds that once 
so enraptured and charmed my soul, again salute my ear. May I 
be permitted to enter, with thy people, within the gates of Zion, 
and worship toward thy holy hill in spirit and in truth. Lord, if 
thou wilt vouchsafe these blessings to me, the praise shall be thine 
throughout all ages— world without end. Amen. 



CHAPTER V. 



A CALL TO THOSE WHO HAVE NOT BEEN BAPTIZED. 



" Arise and he baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling 
on the name of the Lord." Acts 22 : 16. 

Baptism, as applied to infants, is intended to be a means 
of producing faith, or the new birth in them ; and it will 
produce this result, if the parents are faithful, and the bles- 
sing of God is bestowed. 

Baptism, as applied to persons who have come to years 
of personal responsibility, is intended to seal, make certain, 
or secure that, which their faith takes hold of; and also be- 
sides this, to be the door of entrance into the Church, in 
which they are introduced to the other means of grace, for 
their edification, and for the conversion of others. Although 
it is not God's ordinary method of procedure to convert 
those only, who grow up without having been baptized in 
infancy, but the contrary: and although he does ordinarily 
chiefly convert the children of believing parents, in connec- 
tion with their use of all the means in their power ; and al- 
though it is not generally the case, that those are converted 
who live during their youth without considering their obli- 
gations to God, or those who grow old in sin and are hard- 
ened in their crimes ; yet there is hope for the chief of sin- 
ners. It is, alas ! too true, that many of the children of 
the Church, who were baptized in their infancy, never be- 
come converted. But this is owing either to erroneous 
views on the subject ; or, in some cases, to the fact that pa- 
rents do not follow up baptism with their advice, instruction 
4 " ' 



46 



CALL TO THE UNBAPTIZED. 



and example ; or, to the prevalence of false doctrines in the 
community, and to the wickedness of those who are baptiz- 
ed, in refusing to be instructed. It is, alas, only too true, 
that we may sometimes speak in vain to the children of the 
Church. But whether such be the case or not, we will not 
neglect others; or, if it even be so, then especially will a? e turn 
to those who are beyond the pale of the visible Church. 
Perhaps God may, to reprove his people, reverse, for a time, 
his general order. Perhaps he may deal with us, as he did 
with his ancient people, the Jews, and say : "I am sought 
of them that asked not for me ; I am found of them that 
sought me not. I have spread out mj hands all the day 
unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that is not 
good, after their own thoughts — which say, Stand by thy- 
self, come not near to me, for I am holier than thou. These 
are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burnetii all the day." 

As we are to be no respecters of persons, except as God 
respects them ; and as we are to leave no means untried, 
which God, by his word and providence, has indicated, that 
we should use, for the conversion of any, we turn our atten- 
tion, for a moment, to those who are, as yet, unbaptized. 

Dear reader, if ever you are saved, it will be by the grace 
and life going forth from the Church, and if ever you re- 
ceive the grace and life of our Lord Jesus Christ, you will 
be willing to be baptized, and unite with the Church. You will 
be willing to submit to the conditions of church-membership. 
This w'iil be an infallible test of your sincerity ; for God's 
people are willing in the day of his power ; and he has con- 
stituted his Church to be the channel of salvation, and the 
means of edification to his people. The Saviour said : If 
any man " will not hear the Church, let him be to thee as 
an heathen man and a publican." If you would be saved, 
therefore, you must listen to her voice ; you must partake 
of her communion ; you must receive from her, and impart 



CALL TO THE UNBAPTIZED. 



47 



to her; you must become one with her. A branch cannot 
live and thrive, except it abide in the vine. Christ, the true 
vine, exists, lives, and redeems in the Church. I would, 
by no means, however, leave you to suppose, that a mere 
outward connection with the Church, by baptism, will save 
you. Let me urge you, therefore, to consider the plan of 
redemption. 

1. Consider your sins. The first thing necessary for you 
to know, is the greatness of your sins and miseries. It is 
against the great God you have sinned. He designed you 
for obedience and holiness ; but you yield yourself to a course 
of sin. As God, against whom you have sinned, is infinite- 
ly great, so your sins have reached an incalculably great 
magnitude. The punishments which he will inflict upon 
you, if you die in your impenitence, will be inconceivably- 
great. 

You are under the dominion of sin. You have a law of 
sin in your members, and unless the dominion of sin is bro- 
ken, you will continue to sin forever. Unless the law of 
gin and death is destroyed, you will die the death eternal. 
When you seek, therefore, for the happiness of heaven, 
come with a view to have your sins removed. Come with a 
desire to have God's anger turned away. Come with a pur- 
pose of living a life of piety ; a life of faith and prayer, a 
life of holiness, ceasing to do evil, and learning to do well 
more and more. Count the cost of coming to Christ. 

2. Consider the importance of accepting salvation on the 
terms on which it is offered, 

Christ oiiers himself as your righteousness and sanctifica- 
tion, and redemption. Yea, he commands you to eeek the 
salvation of your soul upon the terms of the gospel. He 
says : " Repent ye ; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand* 
Repent, and be baptized, every one of you. Repent, and 
believe the gospel." Christ is your righteousness. He 



48 



CALL TO THE UNBAPTIZED. 



alone has the spotless purity which God will accept as an 
atonement for sin. He alone has satisfied divine justice, 
by his death on the cross, in your stead. You must not 
come with the idea of purchasing salvation by your works. 
You must not suppose, that, by submitting to painful bodily 
exercises, you can thereby merit salvation. M Bodily exer- 
cise profiteth little/' The same is true of painful mental 
exercises. God will not despise a broken heart ; but still 
that is not your righteousness. Christ is your righteousness, 

" The best obedience of your bands, 
Dares not appeal- before his throne. 
But faith can answer God's demands,, 
By pleading what your Lord has done. " 

But, in accepting the gospel, you must not forget, that 
Christ must be received into your soul as the power of a 
new life. You are to perform good works out of gratitude 
for your deliverance, and by the assistance of your Saviour, 
You are to persevere in every good word and work. You 
are to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, be- 
cause God works in you to will and to do of his good 
pleasure. 

Study the method of grace, as it is contained in the word 
of God and set forth in the catechism, and other evanseli- 

7 D 

cal books, until you understand the doctrines of divine grace 
in the saving of your soul. But do not pry into useless 
questions. Do not expect to understand every portion of 
Scripture, every act of providence, and God's way of salva- 
tion, at once. In their very nature, the great truths of re- 
ligion cannot be fully understood by finite minds. No one, 
by searching, can find out God to perfection. Have faith 
in what is revealed, and then you will understand more and 
more. " If any man will do his will, he shall know of the 
doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether it be of men." 
" Then shall you know, if you follow on to know the Lord." 



CALL TO THE UNBAPTIZED. 



49 



Alas ! it is only too true, that many reject the gospel, 
because it does not meet their notions in an unconverted 
state. They are unwilling to confess and forsake their sins. 
They are unwilling to ask God's help. They are unwilling 
to pray for the grace of his Holy Spirit. Darkness and 
doubt hang over their minds. They love darkness rather 
than light, because their deeds are evil. Behold on the 
brink of ruin, the young, the gay and thoughtless, sporting, 
and dancing, and enjoying themselves in the pleasures of 
youth. Their hearts seem to cheer them with the sponta- 
neous gushings of youthful emotions, while the language of 
their conduct is : " Away from me with religion. Away 
from me with prayer. Away from me with the Bible. 
Away from me with the catechism and religious books. Do 
not ask me to study religion. Let me enjoy myself, while 
I am young.' 5 Then turning away, behold them eagerly 
plunging into the whirling stream of vain amusement, drink- 
ing the flowing bowl, or feasting their appetites to gluttony, 
or nibbling at some poor miserable, sensual enjoyment, as if 
it were the " highest good;" or, perhaps, rushing into some 
exciting play, as if there were nothing so blessed in the world 
as sport. But the brink of ruin is near. Round and round, 
they make their giddy circle, when suddenly their foot goes 
over the brink. They are gone ! God, help ! Lift them 
up, or they sink. They are gone ! They sink to rise no 
more. you, who still remain, take warning. Let not 
Satan lead you captive at his will. Fly to Jesus. Stretch 
forth your arms to him. Jesus alone can save you. 

Dear reader, come not to the Bible, nor to religious books, 
nor to the preaching of the gospel, with that proud, self- 
complacent, and self-sufficient spirit, which characterizes 
those, who will not have Christ to reign over them. " God 
resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble." Hum- 
ble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, 
and he will exalt you in due time." 4* 



50 



CALL TO THE UNBAPTIZED. 



The plan of salvation through Christ, applied by the 
means of grace in the Church, admits of no doubt. It is 
so plainly revealed, that he that runs may read it. But the 
first step you make in the way to heaven, must be the exer- 
cise of a true humility. " He that will not receive the king- 
dom of God as a little child, shall in no wise enter therein." 
Come with that confiding trust, which a little child exercises 
in its parent, and your baptism will be, in effect, infant bap- 
tism. It will receive the signature of your Saviour, and he 
will stamp his image on your heart. The grace of the Ho- 
ly Spirit will be poured on your soul, and you will be able 
to rejoice in God your Saviour. 



A PRAYER AND REFLECTIONS FOR ONE COMING TO THE ORDINANCE 
OF BAPTISM. 

Almighty God, the Creator of all things, the fountain of purity, 
the source of light and life, God over all, blessed forevermore : 
With unfeigned humility would I attempt to approach thee. I 
would come with fear and trembling; for thou hast spoken in ter- 
ror to my soul. Thy " word is quick and powerful, and sharper 
than a two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of 
soul and spirit, joint and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts 
and intents of the heart." And were it not for the words of mer- 
cy blended with the word of justice, I would not, I could not dare 
to lift up my head, and direct my prayer to thee. But thou hast 
prepared a ransom. The joyful sound of salvation is proclaimed 
from thy holy hill of Zion : The Spirit and the bride say come. 

Lord, may I presume to come and take thy yoke upon me ? Am 
I prepared to confess thy name before the world ? Lord, the prep- 
aration of the heart, and the answer of the tongue, in man, is from 
thee. To thee I am come for help. send help from the sanctua- 
ry. Have mercy upon me in my low estate. Give me a token 
for good, that I may not run before I am sent; that I may not 



CALL TO THE UNBAPTIZED. 



51 



present my body to thee, while my heart is far from thee. Lord, 
in my helpless condition, I fly to thee. Save me from my sins. 
Save me from perdition. May I honestly and sincerely dedicate 
myself to thy service. May the baptism of the Holy Grhost be 
poured upon me. May the washing of regeneration create me 
anew in Christ Jesus. May I not be an unfruitful branch. May 
I not have a name to live and be dead j but speak thou the 
word, and I shall live ; I shall be saved and eventually crowned 
with immortality. Hear me, Lord, hear me, for thy mercy and 
for thy truth's sake, and the glory shall be thine forever. Amen. 



C H APTEH VI. 



AN ADDRESS TO CATECHUMENS, OR PERSONS STUDYING- THE 
CATECHISM, WITH A VIEW OF JOINING THE CHURCH BY CON- 
FIRMATION. 



Presuming- that you are convinced of the importance of 
church-membership, I will proceed to speak of the position 
and duties of catechumens, or candidates for church-mem- 
bership. And to induce you to occupy the position of a 
catechumen, I will urge upon your attention a few solemn 
considerations connected with your welfare as an immortal 
being. Perhaps you have lost some of your kindred by death. 
Perhaps you have followed a father or mother, or a brother 
or sister to the grave. If so, you ought not to hesitate a mo- 
ment in seeking the preparation required to follow them. 
Strive, then, to enter in at the narrow gate, that you maybe 
accepted by the friend of sinners. 

1. In the first place, when you attend the lectures of a 
minister on the catechism, try to regard your minister as an 
ambassador of Jesus Christ ; try to look upon him as a chan- 
nel of divine influence ; try to have faith in him as a man 
of God. Esteem him very highly in love for his work's 
sake. He may be imperfect ; for he is a man of like pas- 
sions with yourselves. But still, though he be an earthen 
vessel, the treasure of religious teaching is entrusted to him. 
The office of leading you into green pastures beside the still 
waters of salvation, is committed to his hands. Follow his 
directions, therefore, and he will lead you to the Lamb of 
God, which taketh away the sin of the world. 



ADDRESS TO CATECHUMENS, 



50 



2. In the second place, study the catechism as thorough- 
ly as possible. If possible, commit it all to memory, to- 
gether with the Scripture proofs. The catechism is all ta- 
ken from the Bible. To study it, therefore, is to study the 
Scriptures. You will find, that, after you have studied 
hard to understand some particular doctrine, by the use of 
your own reason, without coming to any satisfactory conclu- 
sion, when you look at the explanation given of it in the 
catechism, it becomes plain enough; you are at once brought 
to a settled opinion. Many persons go astray, because they 
follow too exclusively their own reasoning, instead of re- 
ceiving the simple truth, as it is revealed in the Scriptures, 
and expressed in the catechism. 

But do not merely commit the catechism to memory. 
Try to understand its meaning also. Especially try to un- 
derstand its spiritual import. Study it with a prayerful 
mind ; and, in the stillness of your private hours, lift your 
heart to God for his blessing. And when you sit down to 
hear the words of your pastor, listen with a devotional frame 
of mind. A great deal of harm has been done to individu- 
als, by their not attending to this duty properly. They 
have merely gone over the catechism, without having their 
consciences exercised, and their hearts touched. They have 
not prayed for the blessing of God upon their souls. Many 
have thus been lost, and the cause of Christ has thus been 
injured. Catechizing is good, if properly attended to ; but 
if not thus attended to, it will harden the heart, and leave 
the soul to perish. Catechizing, if rightly conducted, may 
be regarded in the light of a prayer meeting, and that of 
the most interesting kind. The pastor meets with you to 
expound the Scriptures, and to sing and pray with you. If 
you really desire to be saved, and are penitent on account 
of your sins, there is no means that can be conceived of, 
which is better calculated than this, to enable you to be> 



54 



ADDRESS TO CATECHUMENS. 



come prepared for church-membership. But take heed that 
you be not careless. A fearful responsibility rests upon 
you. 

3. Pray to God in private for a blessing. The expres- 
sive language of our Saviour is : " Enter into thy closet, 
and shut to thy door, and pray to the Father which is in se- 
cret, and thy Father which seeth in secret, shall himself re- 
ward thee openly." So plainly indeed is this duty inculca- 
ted by our Lord, that it would seem, but a hint is needed to 
urge ou to its performance. I well remember my vener- 
ated pastor, who always advised his pupils to pray. He 
was in the habit of saying a few words about secret prayer 
to his catechumens, at the conclusion of his catechetical ex- 
ercises. They afterwards thanked him very greatly in their 
hearts for his advice. 

When you come to be examined before the consistory, for 
admission into the church by confirmation, the question may 
be asked you : Have you been in the habit of praying ? 
How important, that you should be able to answer in the 
affirmative ! When you come to stand before the bar of 
God, the same question may be asked you. How impor- 
tant, that you should then especially be able also to answer 
in the affirmative ! For it is said : " And it shall come to 
pass, that whosoever calleth on the name of the Lord shall 
be saved." " He that asketh, receiveth, and he that seek- 
eth, findeth, and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened," 



A PRAYER FOR A CATECHUMEN. 

Lord, I thank thee, that, amidst the darkness of this world; 
amidst the uncertainties which hang over the future world, thou 
hast caused a light to arise, to illuminate my pathway through 
this valley of tears ; and that amidst the fading nature of the ob- 
jeets of this life, I am enabled to look to the eternal mansions. 



ADDRESS TO CATECHUMENS. 



55 



Lord, I am admonished that I am a stranger and pilgrim in the 
earth, and that I am a traveller to eternity. The death of my 
fellow beings fills my soul with awe and solemnity. May I be- 
take myself to the work of preparation for death and eternity, 
May I be enabled to enter into thy kingdom here, in order that 
T may be embraced in thy kingdom hereafter. May I be enabled 
to understand the things of the Spirit, and see the narrow way to 
heaven, in which I should walk. To this end, give me a rever- 
ence for holy things, and produce that spirit of meekness in me, 
by which I can receive the ingrafted word, which is able to save 
my soul. 

Enable me to regard thy servant as thy ambassador; knowing, 
that what he shall do and say, according to thy word, will be sanc- 
tioned in heaven. Lord, do thou cause thy Spirit to accompany 
his words, that he may speak in demonstration of the Spirit, and 
with power. May I not be an unfruitful hearer. May thy word 
be sweet unto my taste. May I delight in it as in a hidden trea- 
sure. May I comprehend with all saints, the length and breadth, 
and heighth and depth, of revealed truth ; and may I know the 
love of God, which passeth knowledge. Do thou be pleased to 
hear my supplications for a blessing upon my soul. Do thou help 
me to pray. May thy good Spirit prompt my petitions, that my 
prayer may be acceptable. 

Hear me, Lord, for the sake of Jesus my Mediator and Re- 
deemer. Amen, 

Or the following : 

a eternal Clod, fountain of truth, in whom to believe is ever- 
lasting life, let thy grace descend with mighty power upon my 
soul. Inspire me with wisdom, knowledge and humility ; and so 
sanctify my belief in thy revelations, that my heart may be filled 
with hope and confidence in thy gracious promises. 

Restrain, Lord, every vain imagination, and bring every proud 
thought into subjection to thy will, that no prejudice, no motive 
of self-interest may interfere with my full belief in the pure doc- 
trines of Christianity. 

Hear me, G-od, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen, 

Our Father, &c." 



CHAPTER Vli. 



CONFIRMATION. 

The ceremony of confirmation, though not a sacrament, 
is nevertheless a scriptural ordinance. It is an appropriate 
rite, by which the person who has been baptized, is received 
into full connection with the Church. It grows forth from 
the idea of baptism as a sacrament, which secures a right 
and title to the inheritance purchased by Christ. When 
officers in the Church, in the time of the Apostles, were 
ordained, the ceremony was performed by laying on of hands. 
When, at one time, the Apostles laid their hands on some 
persons, who had been baptized, they received the Holy 
Ghost. So in confirmation, persons who have properly at- 
tended to catechetical instruction, and have prayed, and are 
penitent and desirous to be saved, receive an additional 
sealing influence of the Spirit. They receive, while they 
thus faithfully, and not merely in an outward, formal way, 
join the Church, a joy and peace which the world cannot 
give, nor take away. This is the experience of thousands, 
who have been confirmed in this way. 

The ceremony of confirmation, is, as it were, the comple- 
tion of baptism. In it the subject takes upon himself the 
vows made in his behalf in baptism, and publicly professes 
faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Let me remind the cate- 
chumen, therefore, of the importance of the step he is 
taking. Be sure that you are thoroughly prepared for it ; 
that you understand the doctrines of the gospel, and that 
you are properly impressed with the importance of church- 



CONFIRMATION. 



57 



membership, and of leading a pious life. If you are not 
penitent ; if your heart is not, in some degree, subdued and 
humbled in view of your sins, you are not qualified to take 
this step. You had better ask your pastor to postpone ad- 
ministering to you confirmation until the next communion 
season, whilst you continue to seek a more intimate acquain- 
tance with God your Saviour. You ought to be ready now 
to make a profession of religion. It is owing to your neg- 
ligence and unfaithfulness, perhaps, that you are not pre- 
pared to enter the Church at this time ; and this fact ought 
to bring you to immediate repentance. You ought, this mo- 
ment, to repent of your sin of neglect. 

But supposing you to be ready to take up your cross, in 
submitting to confirmation, I would give you some advice as 
to the manner in which you should make a dedication of 
yourself to God. 

1. Do it deliberately. You should have fully before your 
mind, all your responsibilities. You should have a clear 
view of the nature of your undertaking. You should un- 
derstand what you are doing. You should not do, what 
you are about to engage in, carelessly, or rashly, like the 
horse rushing into battle. Deliberate upon the course be- 
fore you; not, however, with a slavish fear or dread; but 
with an open heart and filial affection ; and then, in humble 
reliance on God, present yourself to him. Let not your 
mind be distracted by other things. Think only of God, 
and do what you do, as unto the Lord, and not unto men. 

2. Dedicate yourself to God cheerfully. Let it be 
" not by constraint, but willingly." You should love God, 
because he first loved you ; and if you love Christ, you will 
cordially commit yourself to him. How cheerfully should 
you surrender yourself to God, who has done so much for 
- you ! He is the giver of every good and perfect gift. He 
has created and sustained you. He has kept you in being 
5 



58 



CONFIRMATION. 



during jour infancy, and brought you thus far in the jour- 
ney of life, preserving you from many lurking dangers and 
open foes. But above all, he has given you a Saviour, Je- 
sus, who is willing to save you from misery everlasting ; a 
Saviour who has purchased you with his own blood ; who 
has paid the price of your redemption, with inconceivably 
great agony on the cross, and who now offers you life eter- 
nal. Do not engage in this act against your will. Do not 
give yourself and your service to the Lord grudgingly, 
" The Lord loveth a cheerful giver." Say, 

" Here Lord, I give myself away, 
'Tis all that I can do." 

3. Let your dedication to God be entire. "You are 
bought with a price : therefore glorify God in your body 
and spirit, which are God's." "All you are, and all you 
have, and all you can do, your time, your possessions, your 
influence over others, should be devoted to him, that, for 
the future, it may be employed for him, and to his glory. 
You should desire to keep nothing back from him, but se- 
riously judge that you are then in the truest and noblest 
sense your own, when you are most entirely his." Do not 
retain the practice of any one known sin, but be willing and 
desirous to forsake every sinful indulgence- — every act, and 
thought and feeling that God does not approve. If you 
regard iniquity in your heart, the Lord will not hear your 
prayer — will not accept your dedication of yourself to his 
service. He will have the whole will, and mind, and 
strength. 

4. To enable you to approach the Lord in the rite of con- 
firmation, with the greater solemnity, I will here submit to 
you a form of dedication, written by the Rev. Dr. Doddridge. 
Or you may, if you prefer, write one for yourself, in which 
you may record your feelings and your purposes, on this 
great and solemn occasion ; to which you may afterwards 



CONFIRMATION. 



59 



refer, and reflect upon it, for jour spiritual benefit. " Set 
your hand and seal to it, that on such a clay, of such a 
month and year, and at such a place, on full consideration, 
and serious reflection, you came to this happy resolution, 
that, whatsoever others might do, you would serve the 
Lord." 

" Eternal and ever blessed God ! I desire to present my- 
self before thee, with the deepest humiliation and abase- 
ment of soul, sensible how unworthy such a sinful worm is, 
to appear before the holy Majesty of heaven, and especially 
on such an occasion as this, even to dedicate myself, without 
reserve, to thee. But the scheme and plan is thine own. 
Thine infinite condescension hath offered it by thy Son, and 
thy grace hath inclined my heart to accept of it. 

" I come, therefore, acknowledging myself to have been a 
great offender ; smiting upon my breast, and saying with the 
publican, ' God be merciful to me a sinner I' I come, invi- 
ted by the name of thy Son, and wholly trusting in his per- 
fect righteousness, entreating that for his sake thou wilt be 
merciful to my unrighteousness, and wilt no more remem- 
ber my sins. Receive, I beseech thee, thy revolted crea- 
ture, who is now convinced of thy right to him, and desires 
nothing so much as that he may be thine. 

" This day do I, with the utmost solemnity, surrender 
myself to thee. I renounce ail former lords that have had 
dominion over me ; and I consecrate to thee all that I am 
and all that I have : the faculties of my mind, the members 
of my body, my worldly possessions, my time, and my in- 
fluence over others ; to be all used entirely to thy glory, 
and resolutely employed in obedience to thy commands, as 
lono- as thou continuest me in life ; with an ardent desire and 
humble resolution to continue thine through all the endless 
ages of eternity ; ever holding myself in an attentive pos- 
ture to observe the first intimations of thy will, and ready 



GO 



CONFIRMATION. 



to spring forward with zeal and joy to the immediate exe- 
cution of it. 

" To thy direction also I resign myself, and all I am and 
have, to be disposed of by thee in such a manner as thou 
shalt, in thine infinite wisdom, judge most subservient to 
the purposes of thy glory. To thee I leave the manage- 
ment of all events, and say without reserve, ''Not my will, 
but thine be done,' rejoicing with a loyal heart, in thine 
unlimited government, as what ought to be the delight of 
the whole rational creation. 

" Use me, Lord, I beseech thee, as an instrument of 
thy service ! Number me among thy peculiar people ! Let 
me be washed in the blood of thy dear Son ! Let me be 
clothed in his righteousness ! Let me be sanctified by his 
Spirit ! Transform me more and more into his image ! Im- 
part to me, through him, all needful influences of thy puri- 
fying, cheering, and comforting Spirit ! And let my life 
be spent under those influences, and in the light of thy gra- 
cious countenance, as my Father, and my God ! 

" And when the solemn hour of death comes, may I re- 
member thy covenant, < well ordered in all things and sure,' 
as all my salvation, and all my desire, though every hope 
and enjoyment is perishing ; and do thou, Lord ! remem- 
ber it too. Look down with pity, my heavenly Father, 
on thy languishing dying child ! Embrace me in thine ever- 
lasting arms ! Put strength and confidence into my depart- 
ing spirit, and receive it to the abodes of them that sleep in 
Jesus, peacefully and joyfully to wait the accomplishment 
of thy great promise to all thy people, even that of a glo- 
rious resurrection, and of eternal happiness in thine heaven- 
ly presence ! 

"And if any surviving friend should, when I am in the 
dust, meet with this memorial of my solemn transactions 
with thee, may he make the engagement his own ; and do 



eONETEMATION. 



61 



thou graciously admit him to partake in all the blessings of 
thy covenant, through Jesus, the great Mediator of it, to 
whom, with thee, Father, and thy Holy Spirit, be ever- 
lasting praises ascribed, by all the millions who are thus 
saved by thee, and by all those other celestial spirits in 
whose work and blessedness thou shalt call them to share ! 
Amen." 5* 



CHAPTER VIII. 

THE SACRAMENT OF THE LORD'S SUPPER. 



"Do this in remembrance of me." 
Presuming that you have fully committed yourself to be 
Christ's servant forever, I will endeavor to aid you in com- 
ing to the Lord's table. It is presumed, that you have 
studied the subject of the Lord's Supper in the catechism, 
and that you understand the nature and design of this insti- 
tution. Permit me to urge you to keep in view, what you 
have there learned, so that when you approach the table of 
the Lord, the sight of your eyes may affect your heart. 
Come not in a thoughtless and careless manner to this holy 
ordinance. Let deep repentance possess your soul. Re- 
member that they, who eat and drink unworthily, eat and 
drink damnation to themselves, not discerning the Lord's 
body. Presume not to trifle with holy things, least of all 
with the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. It is the highest 
and most expressive form of the mystery of redemption, 
which we are permitted to behold on this side of heaven. 
It is the most vital and active part of religious worship. It 
is the most powerful means of grace by which our souls are 
to be purified and saved. 

If you have been negligent in any part of your duty here- 
tofore, in the way of preparing yourself for an approach to 
the Lord's Supper, begin now to repent and pray in earn- 
est, — begin now to examine the ground of your hope, — be- 
gin now to search your heart. If you fail of a blessing here, 
you will probably fail entirely. It is hoped, however, that 



THE LORD'S SUPPER. 



63 



you have not been altogether negligent. Still, let the 
thought sink deep into your heart, that, if you have not a 
true sorrow for sin, and a true hungering and thirsting after 
righteousness ; if you have not thought long, seriously, and 
earnestly of your sins, and called upon God, in earnest sup- 
plications, for his blessing, for pardon, peace and life, you 
will fail of obtaining that, which you most of all desire. 
Repent, therefore, and do your first works ; do that which 
you should have done at the beginning. 

I make these remarks, because the Lord's Supper has so 
often been abused by the careless and thoughtless manner 
in which persons have partaken of the emblems of Christ's 
body and blood. Christ and his cause have thus been in- 
jured — wounded in the most tender part. The very central 
part of Christian worship, which is the means of lifting the 
soul up to God, is thus robbed of its power, and turned into 
a mere shadow. The holiest of holies is thus entered by 
defiled hands and polluted. The pearl of great price is thus 
plucked, by ruthless hands, from its place, and trampled in 
the dust. But God lives and will vindicate his honor. 

This abuse is seen in the subsequent lives of some, who 
have partaken of the Supper of the Lord ; for a tree is 
known by its fruits. Persons, who, seemingly, had the qual- 
ifications necessary for a worthy approach to the Lord's 
table, have turned out to be destitute of true religion. The 
utmost care of the Church to guard against this result, has 
not been able to prevent such occurrences. Still, it is the 
duty of the Church to warn the people, and to suspend from 
the communion, those who do not show evidence of being 
worthy. But, as the Church is to judge only by outward 
evidences, abuses cannot be entirely prevented. The tares 
and the wheat must grow together until the time of the 
harvest. It is, therefore, only the more necessary for each 
one to judge himself, that he be not condemned with the 
world. 



04 



THE LORD'S SUPPEE. 



After you have attended to the duty of self-examination, 
two things, with regard to the nature and design of this or- 
dinance, must be kept in view. 

1. The first is the sacrifice of Christ accomplished on the 
cross. This is vividly represented by the emblems before 
you in this sacrament ; and as you view them, your thoughts 
will recur to the events which they typify. You will recall 
your sins vividly to mind, and the sweet assurance will arise 
in your heart, that his body was offered and broken on the 
cross for you, and his blood was shed for you. Your soul 
will be melted by the remembrance of Calvary and Gol- 
gotha, and the love of your dying Redeemer. Your heart 
will be subdued, and every thought be brought into subjec- 
tion to Christ, in view of the deep significancy of this sol- 
emn transaction ; and you will feel the force of the language 
of the poet, when he says : 

" And did the holy and the just, 

The sov'reign of the skies, 
Stoop down to wretchedness and dust ? 

That guilty worms might rise ? 

Yes ! the Redeemer in his soul 

Sustained the pains of hell ; 
The wrath of God without control, 

On him our surety fell." 

And well may you exclaim in language like the following : 

" for such love, let rocks and hills 

Their lasting silence break, 
And all harmonious human tongues 

The Saviour's praises speak." 

2. Bear in mind, in the second place, that, in order that 
you may " embrace with a believing heart, all the sufferings 
of Christ, and thereby obtain the pardon of sin, and life eter- 
nal," you must " become more and more united to Christ's 
sacred body, by the Holy Ghost, who dwells both in Christ 



THE LORD'S SUPPER. 



65 



and in you." In order that you may receive the righteous- 
ness of Christ, you must he the recipient of the life of Christ; 
that life which dwells in Christ's body in heaven, and trans- 
cends the limits of space, and flows over to you through the 
means of grace, and is strengthened and increased more and 
more through the medium of the Lord's Supper, when prop- 
erly used. Keep in mind, that in proportion as you have 
a hungering faith for Christ as your justifier, and in Christ 
as your sanctifier, will you be justified and absolved; in pro- 
portion as you have a hungering faith for Christ, as your 
redemption, resurrection, or eternal life, will you be bene- 
fitted ; in proportion as you have a hungering faith for holi- 
ness, and for Christ's Spirit, or life, will you become holy. 
But, " if you receive not the Spirit of Christ, you are none 
of his." 

Remember, therefore, as you eat this bread and drink this 
wine, that, although Christ is in heaven, and you on earth, 
you are, nevertheless, partakers of his life — of his grace 
and Spirit — that life, or grace and Spirit, which dwells in 
his body, and that this is communicated to you more and 
more through the medium of the Supper. As you taste the 
bread and wine, remember Jesus as a present Saviour, who 
is willing to communicate himself to you, in the pardon of 
your sins, and in the strengthening of your inward life. 

These are the two things which you should keep in view, 
as you approach the table of the Lord. They cannot be 
separated. You cannot possess one without the other. You 
cannot be justified unless you are regenerated, and being 
regenerated, you cannot keep your inward life of faith ac- 
tive, unless you receive the communication of Christ's grace 
in the holy Supper. The atonement of Christ is typified 
in the broken bread, and poured out wine ; but it cannot be 
"counted yours unless you receive also by faith, the very 
life of Christ, by the power of which your soul shall be re- 



60 



THE LORD'S SUPPER. 



newed, and ultimately your body also raised up at the last 
day, to glory and immortality. 

With these two truths fully in view, as a guide to your 
faith, you may meditate on all the privileges and glories of 
the Christian. You may meditate on your lost estate — on 
the blindness which enveloped your mind until lately — and 
on your recovery from the curse of sin, and from a course of 
sinning, by the mercy of God. These are solemn facts : for 
it is clue to sovereign grace alone, that you now have any 
hope, or any desire for eternal life. You are still in a world 
of sin, and your heart is subject to doubt and difficulty. 
With shame and confusion of face too great to be expressed, 
you now come before the Lord, and the Lord knows wheth- 
er you have that deep inward compunction, which follows a 
faithful self-examination, or not. If you have, it is your 
privilege to look up and see a bleeding Saviour — see the 
love that beams in his eye, and flows from his soul — see, as 
it were, his wounds, and his blood trickling down from his 
pierced hands, and side, and feet. If you are penitent it 
is for you the Saviour died. If you are a Christian, it is 
for you the Lord's Supper is designed. If you love Christ 
in sincerity, and can say with Peter, "Lord thou knowest 
all things, thou knowest that I love thee you are welcome 
at his banquet. If you have a godly sorrow which worketh 
a repentance unto salvation, that needs not to be repented 
of, you are invited to a seat among his people. Come, then, 
with pious and devout affections, and obey the dying com- 
mand of your Redeemer : " Do this in remembrance of me." 

To aid you further, in your approach to the Lord's table, 
permit me to quote from the Rev. Matthew Henry : 

" Wonderful sights are to be seen here, where the Lord's 
death is shown forth : precious benefits are here to be had, 
where the covenant of grace is sealed: the transaction is 
very solemn, very serious, nothing more so on this side 



THE LORD'S SUPPER. 



67 



death ! But what impressions must be made hereby upon 
our souls ? How must we stand affected while this is do- 
ing ? Is this service only a show, at which we may be un- 
concerned spectators ? Or is it a market-place, in which 
we may stand all the day idle ? No, by no means : here is 
work to be done, heart-work, such as requires very close 
application of mind, and a great liveliness and vigor of spir- 
it, and in which all that is within us should be employed, and 
all little enough. 

Here is that to be done, which calls for fixed thoughts 
and warm affections, which needs them and well deserves 
them. What sensible movings of affection we should aim 
at, is not so easy to direct ; tempers vary ; some are soon 
moved and much moved with every thing that affects them ; 
from such it may be expected that their passions, which are 
strong at other times, should not be weak at this ordinance ; 
and yet, no doubt there are others whose natural temper is 
happily more calm and sedate, who are not conscious to 
themselves of such stirring of affections as some experience 
at this ordinance, and yet have as comfortable communion 
with God, as good evidence of the truth and growth of grace, 
and as much real benefit by the ordinance, as those that 
think themselves even transported by it. The deepest riv- 
ers are scarce perceived to move, and make the least noise. 
On the other hand, there may be much heat where there is 
little light, and strong passions where there are very weak 
resolutions. Like the waters of a land flood — which make 
a great show, but are shallow and soon gone. We must 
not, therefore, build a good opinion of our spiritual state 
upon the vehemence of our affections. 

A romance may represent a tragical story so pathetically, 
as to make a great impression upon the minds of some, who 
-yet know the whole matter to be both feigned and foreign ; 
bodily exercise— if that be all— profits little. And on the 



68 



THE LORD'S SUPPER. 



other hand, there may be a true and strong faith, informing 
the judgment, bowing the will, and commanding the affec- 
tions, and purifying the heart and life, where yet there are 
not any transports, or pathetical expressions. There may 
be true joy, where the mouth is not filled with laughter, nor 
the tongue with singing : and true sorrow where yet the 
eye doth not run down with tears. 

They whose hearts are firmly fixed for God, may take 
the comfort of that, though they do not find their hearts 
flowing out sensibly towards him. 

And yet in this sacrament, where it is designed that the 
eye should affect the heart, we must not rest in the bare 
contemplation of what is here set before us ; but the consid- 
eration thereof must make an impression on our spirits, 
which should be turned as wax to the seal. If what is here 
done do not affect us for the present, it will not be likely to 
influence us afterwards : for we retain the remembrance of 
things better by our affections, than by our notions : c I 
shall never forget thy precepts, when by them thou hast 
quickened me.' Here, therefore, let us stir up the gift that 
is in us, endeavoring to affect ourselves with the great things 
of GocUand our souls ; and let us pray to God to affect us 
with them by his Spirit and grace, and to testify his accep- 
tance of the sacrifice of a broken heart, which we are to 
offer, by kindling it with this holy fire from heaven. Awake 
north wind ! and come thou south, and blow upon my 
garden. Come thou blessed Spirit, and move upon these 
w T aters, these dead waters, to set them a moving in rivers of 
living water ; come and breathe upon these dry bones that 
they may live. that I might now be in the mount of God ! 
That I might be so taken up with the things of the Spirit 
and the other world, that for the time I may even forget 
that I am yet in the body in this world ! that I might 
be soaring upward, upward toward God, pressing forward, 



THE LORD'S SUPPER. 



00 



forward toward heaven, fervent in spirit serving the Lord, 
for here is no time to trifle !" 

In order that you may possess the state of mind above 
described, permit me to repeat the admonition in reference 
to the necessity of meditating on your sins and miseries, and 
thus humbling yourself before God. 

1. Consider the sum of the commandments of God, viz : 
" Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with 
all thy soul, with all thy mind, and with all thy strength, 
and thy neighbor as thyself." Commune with your own 
heart ; turn your thoughts within, and remember the evil 
desires and inclinations that have reigned there. Single out 
your transgressions one by one and look at yourself as you 
are seen in the pure mirror of the law of God. You have 
never fulfilled these ten commandments, and you are ex- 
posed to eternal condemnation on account of your disobe- 
dience. Confess your sins with deep self-abasement, and 
be awake to a sense of your need of Christ's righteousness 
and life. 

2. Exercise a firm trust in the promises of salvation. 
Meditate on the work of redemption accomplished by your 
Saviour. Follow him, in your thoughts, from the humble 
child of Bethlehem, the child set for the rising and falling 
of many in Israel, to the agonizing Redeemer in the garden 
of Gethsemane, and the suffering Saviour on the cross, and 
the risen deliverer now seated on the right hand of the 
Majesty on high, from whence he shall come to judge the 
living and the dead ; for " that same Jesus shall come in 
like manner as he went up." "For as often as ye eat of 
this bread and drink this cup, ye do show forth the Lord's 
death till he come." Though your sins are many ; though 
many infirmities still cleave to you, they are covered by the 
sufferings and obedience of Jesus Christ, until they shall be 
finally forever removed. While you come trembling for 

6 



TO THE LOKD'S SUPPER 

your sins, therefore, think of Jesus your Saviour. Let all 
fear of man depart, and think only of the presence of God, 
and say in spirit with Isaiah, " I will trust and not be 
afraid; for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song ; 
he also is become my salvation.''* 

3. Consider the emblems as the very pledges of your re- 
demption ; as the very confirmation of your salvation. Con- 
sider the Holy Ghost as present for the purpose of sealing 
salvation upon your heart more and more. As you eat the 
bread and drink the wipe, as you go to and come from the 
Lord's Supper, remember that Jesus himself " will as cer- 
tainly feed and refresh your hungry and contrite heart and 
weary soul, with the life that dwells in his crucified body 
in heaven, by the power of the Holy Ghost, as you receive 
the emblems of that body and blood from the hands of the 
minister, and eat and drink in remembrance of him.'' 

4. Exercise joy and gratitude for your deliverance. If 
you have opened your heart by faith, you will be filled with 
joy ; your soul will be filled with all the communicable ful- 
ness of God. Rejoice in view of the sacrifice of Christ, once 
accomplished on the cross. Eejoice in view of the resur- 
rection of Christ from the dead ; " for now is Christ risen 
from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that 
slept." Rejoice in view of Christ's second coming, when 
he shall fully deliver you from the cross, from the ills of 
life, from sin and temptation, from death and impending 
woe, and receive you to himself in the kingdom of his Fath- 
er. After Jesus, in sight of his disciples ascended up to 
heaven, it is said they returned to Jerusalem with great joy : 
they were joyful because he said, < ; I will come to you again 
and receive you to myself, that where I am there ye may 
be also." Rejoice, therefore, in being counted worthy to 
become a disciple of Jesus. Enter into the courts of the 
Lord with joy, and into his presence with thanksgiving, and 



THE LORD'S SUPPER. 



71 



say -with the Psalmist, " I will take the cup of salvation, 
and call upon the name of the Lord ; I will pay my vows 
unto the Lord now in the presence of all his people." 

A PRATER FOR ONE WHO IS ABOUT TO APPROACH THE LORD'S TA- 
BLE FOR THE FIRST TIME, 

Holy, holy, holy art thou, O Lord God Omnipotent ! Thou 
canst not look upon sin with any degree of allowance. It becomes 
me, therefore, to come into thy presence with the deepest rever- 
ence. Lord, I am vile and sinful, and thou art holy. All thy 
works are holy and good ; and " when I consider thy heavens, the 
work of thy fingers; the moon and stars which thou hast ordained;" 
I am induced to exclaim, " What is man that thou art mindful of 
him, or the son of man that thou visitest him ?" Yet, insignifi- 
cant as man is, thou hast endowed him with mind and immortali- 
ty. It is a part of thy wisdom and mercy from " the weak things 
of the world to confound the things that are mighty j and base 
things of the world, and things which are despised hast thou chosen. 
Yea, and things which are not, to bring to naught things that are, 
that no flesh should glory in thy presence." 

Almighty God ! may I, who, as a prodigal son, have wandered 
from thee, trampled thy law under my feet, despised thy govern- 
ment, and would have none of thy reproofs, may I return ? May 
I be accepted ? May I be received at thy table and partake of 
the provisions of thy house ? Lord Jesus 2 unto whom should I 
go but unto thee ? for thou alone hast the words of eternal life. 
My helpless soul hangs upon thee. Lord search me and know my 
heart, try me and know my thoughts, and see if there be any wick- 
ed way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. 

Lord, I would commit my soul to thee. I would open my heart 
to thee ; help me, Lord ! and cleanse me from my sins. " Cre- 
ate in me a clean heart, Lord, and renew a right spirit within 
- me," and when I, for the first time, approach the holy commun- 
ion, Lord ! may it not be with unhallowed hands j may it not 



72 



THE LORD'S SUPPER. 



be to eat and drink condemnation to myself; but Lord, grant that 
I may be fed with the crucified body of Christ, with the hidden 
manna, the only heavenly bread, by the power and through the 
medium of the Holy Ghost. And when I go from this holy ordi- 
nance, may I no more live in sin j may I not betray thee ; may I 
not thus crucify thee, Jesus ! afresh ; but may I cheerfully bear 
my cross, deny myself, confess my Saviour before the world, and 
in all my trials and distresses, may my firm trust and confidence 
be in theej and may I look for the appearing of the great God and 
my Saviour J esus Christ, who shall change my vile body and fash- 
ion it like unto his own glorious body, who shall raise me up at 
the last day to sit with him in heavenly places above. And unto 
thee, the triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, shall be ever- 
lasting praises given. Amea. 



CHAPTER IX. 



"REFLECTIONS AFTER COMMUNION. 



" Be ye also thankful" 
It is presumed, that you have enjoyed a precious commu- 
nion season. The Saviour, no doubt, seemed indescribably 
precious to your soul. It was indeed a mount of privilege ; 
a heavenly place in Christ Jesus, and perhaps the remem- 
brance of Christ in this ordinance, is still fresh in your 
mind. Perhaps the savor of it follows you to your daily 
avocations, and produces a heavenly peace of mind. how 
happy should we be, should Christ's sweet mercy always thus 
follow us ! 

On the other hand, there is a liability of your losing the 
comfort of this ordinance, and thereby losing the comfort of 
the Christian, which it is your duty and privilege to enjoy. 
The natural tendency of worldly matters is to draw your 
mind away from religious things, -and this may be accompa- 
nied with the furious assaults of Satan to withdraw your 
mind from spiritual duties and spiritual comforts. " When 
the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through 
dry places seeking rest and findeth none ; then he saith, I 
will return into my house from whence I came out, and 
when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnish- 
ed." He makes a fresh assault, and if he cannot take pos- 
session of the will, and control it, he will at least greatly 
annoy the mind with wicked suggestions. For the purpose 
of avoiding the consequences alluded to, and for the better 
improvement of the sacrament, I will subjoin an exhortation, 
6* 



74 



REFLECTIONS AFTER COMMUNION, 



given by Matthew Henry, to order the conversation aright 
after this ordinance : 

" We will now suppose the new moon to be gone, the 
Sabbath to be past, and the solemnities of the sacrament- 
day to be over ; and is our work done ? No : now the most 
needful and difficult part of our work begins ; which is, to 
maintain such a constant watch over ourselves, that we may, 
in the whole course of our conversation, exemplify the bles- 
sed fruits and effects of our communion with God in this 
ordinance. When we come down from this mount, we must, 
as Moses did, bring the tables of the testimony with us in 
our hands, that we- may in all things have respect to God's 
commandments, and frame our lives according to them. 
Then we truly get good by this ordinance, when we are 
made better by it, and use it daily as a bridle of restraint 
to keep us from all manner of sin, and as a spur of con- 
straint to push us on in all manner of duty. 

"I shall say for the first, the Lord's Supper was insti- 
tuted not only for the solemnizing of the memorial of Christ's 
death at certain times, but for the preserving of the remem- 
brance of it in our minds at all times, as a powerful argu- 
ment against every thing that is evil, and a prevailing induce- 
ment to every thing that is good ; in this sense we must 
4 bear about with us continually the dying of the Lord Je- 
sus, that the life also of Jesus may be manifested in our 
mortal bodies.' It was instituted, not only for the sealing 
of the covenant, that it might be ratified ; but for the imprint- 
ing of it upon our minds, that we may ever be mindful of 
the covenant, and live under the commanding power of it. 

" We must see to it, that there be an agreement between 
our performances at the Lord's table and at other times ; 
that we be uniform in our religion, and not guilty of a self- 
contradiction. What will it profit us, if we pull down with 
one hand what we build up with the other ; and undo in our 



REFLECTIONS AFTER COMMUNION. 



75 



lives what we have done in our devotions ? That we may 
not do so, let us be governed by these rules : 

1. " Our conversation must be such, that we may adorn 
the profession which, in the Lord's Supper, we have made. 
We have in that ordinance solemnly owned ourselves the 
disciples and followers of the Lord Jesus. We have done 
ourselves the honor to subscribe ourselves his humble ser- 
vants, and he has done us the honor to admit us into his 
family ; and now we are concerned to walk worthy of the 
vocation wherewith we are called ; that, our relation to Christ 
being so much an honor to us, we may never be a dishonor 
to it. We are said to be taken into covenant with God for 
this very end, that we maybe unto him for a " name, and a 
praise, and for a glory;" that we may be witnesses for him 
and for the honor of his name among men. 

" We must, therefore, be very cautious, that we never 
say or do anything to the reproach of the gospel and Christ's 
holy religion, or which may give any occasion to the ene- 
mies of the Lord to blaspheme. If those who profess to be 
devout towards God, be unjust and dishonest towards men, 
this casts reproach upon devotion, as if it would consist with, 
and countenance immorality. If those who call themselves 
Christians walk as other Gentiles walk, and do Satan's 
drudgery in Christ's livery, Christianity suffers by it, and 
religion is wounded in the house of her friends. Injuries 
are done it which cannot be repaired, and those will have a 
great deal to answer for another day, for whose sakes the 
name of God and his doctrine are thus evil spoken of. 

"By our coming to the Lord's Supper we distinguish. our- 
selves from those who happen merely to be baptized in their 
infancy ; and by a voluntary act of our own, we surname 
ourselves by the name of Israel. Now, if, after we have 
thus distinguished ourselves, and so raised the expectations 
of our neighbors from us, we do that which is unbecoming 



76 



REFLECTIONS AFTER COMMUNION. 



the character we bear ; if we be vain, and carnal, and in- 
temperate ; if we be false and unfair, cruel and unmerciful, 
what will the Egyptians say ? They will say, commend us 
to the children of this world, if these be the children of God ; 
for what do they more than others? Let us, therefore, be 
always jealous for the reputation of our profession, and 
afraid of doing that which may in the least be a blemish to 
it ; and the greater profession we make, the more tender let 
us be of it ; because we have the more eyes upon us, that 
watch for our halting. When we do good, we must remem- 
ber the Apostle's caution, " Let not your good be evil spo- 
ken of." 

" We must also be very studious to do that which will re- 
dound to the credit of our profession. It is not enough 
that we be not a scandal to religion ; but we must strive to 
be an ornament to it, by excelling in virtue, and being for- 
ward to every good work. Our light must shine, as the 
face of Moses did, when he came down from the mount ; 
that is, our good works must be such that they who see them 
may give religion their good word, and thereby " glorify 
our Father which is in heaven." " Our conversation must 
be as becomes the gospel of Jesus Christ," that they who 
will not be won by the word, may be won by it to say : 
" We will go with you ; for we have heard that God is with 
you." If there be any virtue, if there be any praise, more 
amiable and lovely than another, let us think on these things. 
Are we children ? Let us walk as obedient children, well 
taught, and well managed. Are we soldiers ? Let us ap- 
prove ourselves good soldiers, well trained and well disci- 
plined ; so shall we do honor to him that has called us, and 
thus wisdom will be justified in her children. 

2. " Our conversation must be such, that we may fulfill 
the engagements which at the Lord's table we have laid 
ourselves under. Having at God's altar sworn that we will 



"REFLECTIONS AFTER COMMUNION. 



keep his righteous judgments, we must conscientiously per- 
form it in all the evidences of a holy, righteous, and sober 
conversation. The vows we have made, express or implicit, 
must be carefully made good by a constant watchfulness 
against all sin, and a constant diligence in all duty: because 
better is it not to vow, than to vow and not pay. 

"When we are at any time tempted to sin, or in danger 
of being surprised into any ill thing, let this be our reply to 
the tempter, and with this let us quench his fiery darts, 
' Thy vows are upon me, God.' Did I not say, 4 1 will 
take heed to my Ways, that I sin not with my tongue V I 
did say so, and therefore £ I will keep my mouth as with a 
bridle/ Did I not make 1 a covenant with mine eyes V I 
did : that, therefore, shall be to me a covering of the eyes, 
that they may never be either the inlets or outlets of sin. 
Did I not say, £ I will not transgress V I did so ; and there- 
fore, by the grace of God, I will ' abstain from all appear- 
ances of evil, and have no fellowship with the unfruitful 
works of darkness/ An honest man is as good as his word. 

6£ When we begin to grow slowthfttl and careless in our 
duty, backward to it, and slack in it, let this stir up the 
gift that is in us, and quicken us to every good word and 
work: ' my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord, Thou art 
my Lord ;' thou hast said it with the blood of Christ in thy 
hand, 'he is thy Lord then, and worship thou him/ When 
a lion in the streets deters us from any duty, let this help 
us over the difficulty with a steady resolution : ' I have 
opened my mouth unto the Lord : and, without incurring 
the guilt of perjury, I cannot go back.' 

3. " Our conversation must be such, that we may make 
some grateful returns for the favors which we have receiv- 
ed. The lavr of gratitude is one of the laws of nature ; for 
the ox knows his owner, and the ass his master's crib : and 
some have thought that all our gospel duty may very fitly 
be comprised in that of gratitude to our Redeemer, 



78 



REFLECTIONS AFTER COMMUNION. 



" In the Lord's Supper, we see what Christ has done for 
us, and we receive what he bestows on us ; and in consider- 
ation of both, we must set ourselves not only to love and 
praise him, but to walk before him in the land of the living ; 
that, though we cannot return him any equivalent for his 
kindness, yet, by complying with his will, and consulting 
his honor, we may show that we bear a grateful mind, and 
would render again according to the benefit done unto us. 

" By wilful sin after a sacrament, we load ourselves with 
the guilt, not only of treachery, but of base ingratitude. It 
was a great aggravation of Solomon's apostacy,that "he 
turned from the Lord God of Israel, which had appeared 
unto him twice." More than twice, yea, many a time has 
God appeared for us, not only in his providences, but to us 
in his ordinances, manifesting himself in a distinguishing 
way to us, and not unto the world. JSTow, if we carry our- 
selves strangely ^toward him, who has so favored us, and rebel 
against him who has spared and ransomed us, we deserve 
to be stigmatized with a mark of everlasting infamy, as the 
most ungrateful wretches that ever God's earth bore, or his 
sun shone upon. Foolish people and unwise are we, thus 
to requite the Lord. Let us, therefore, reason with our- 
selves, when at any time we are tempted to sin, after he 
has given us such a deliverance as this, shall we again break 
his commandments ? Shall we spit in his face, and spurn 
at the bowels of such loving-kindness ? After we have eat- 
en bread with Christ, shall we lift up the heel against him ? 
No, God forbid ; we will not continue in sin, after grace has 
thus abounded. Let the love of Christ constrain us. 

4. " Our conversation must be such that we may preserve 
the comforts which we have tasted in the Lord's Supper. 
Have we been satisfied with the goodness of God's house ? 
Let us not receive the grace of God therein in vain, by the 
forfeiture of those satisfactions. " Fear the Lord and his 



REFLECTIONS AFTER COMMUNION. 



79 



goodness/' that is, fear lest you sin against that goodness, 
and so sin it away. Have we received Christ Jesus the 
Lord ? Let us hold fast what we have received, that no 
man take our crown, and the comfort of it. Has God spo- 
ken peace to us ? Let us then never return to folly, lest 
we break in upon the peace that God has spoken ; it is a 
jewel too precious to be pawned. Has God made us to hear 
joy and gladness ? Let us not set ourselves out of the hear- 
ing of that joyful sound, by listening to the voice of Satan's 
charms, charm he ever so wisely. 

" If we walk loosely and carelessly after a sacrament, we 
provoke God to hide his face from us, to take from us the 
cup of consolation, and to put into our hands in stead of it 
the cup of trembling ; we cloud our evidences, shake our 
hopes, and wither our comforts, and undo what we have been 
doing at this ordinance. That caution which the Apostle 
gives to the elect lady and her children, should be ever 
sounding in our ears : ' Look to ourselves, that we lose not 
the things we have wrought,' or 'gained.' Let us not, by 
our own folly and neglect, lose the benefit of what we have 
done, and what we have got at the Lord's table. 

" Especially we should take heed lest Satan get an ad- 
vantage against us, and improve that to our prejudice, 
which we do not take due care to improve as we ought, to 
our benefit. After the sop, Satan entered into Judas. If 
the comforts which we think we have received in this ordi- 
nance do not make us more watchful, it is well if they do 
not make us more secure. If they be not a savor of life 
unto life, by deterring us from sin, there is danger lest they 
prove a savor of death unto death, by hardening us in sin. 
Those are but pretended comforts in Christ that are thus 
made real supports in sin : 'Be not deceived, God is not 
mocked.' Hell will be hell indeed to those who thus i tram- 
ple under foot the blood of the covenant, as an unholy thing, 



80 



REFLECTIONS A TIER COMMUNION. 



and do despite to the Spirit of grace.' Their case is des- 
perate indeed, who are emboldened in sin by their approach- 
es to God. 

5. " Our conversation must be such, that we may evi- 
dence the communion we have had with God in Christ at 
the Lord's table. It is not enough to say that we have fel- 
lowship with him: the vilest hypocrites pretend to that hon- 
or ; but, by walking in darkness, they disprove their preten- 
sions, and give themselves the lie. We must, therefore, 
show that we have fellowship with him, by walking in light, 
as he also walked. By keeping up communion with God in 
providences, having our eyes ever towards him, and acknowl- 
edging him in all our ways ; receiving all our comforts as 
the gifts of his bounty, and bearing all our afflictions as his 
fatherly chastisements, we evidence that we have had com- 
munion with him in ordinances. They who converse much 
with scholars, evidence it by the tongue of the learned : as 
one may likewise discover by the politeness and refinement 
of a man's air and mein, that his conversation has been 
much with persons of quality ; thus they that have commu- 
nion with the holy God, should make it appear in all holy 
conversation, not suffering any corrupt communication to 
proceed out of their mouth, but abounding in that which is 
good, and to the use of edifying, that, by our speech and 
behavior, it may appear to what country we belong. 

" When Peter and John acquitted themselves before the 
council with such a degree of conduct and assurance, as one 
could not have expected from unlearned and ignorant men, 
not acquainted with courts, or camps, or academies; it is 
said, that they who marvelled at it, ' took knowledge of 
them that they had been with Jesus.' 

"For the second thing proposed, let us mention some 
particulars, wherein we ought, in a special manner, to ap- 
prove ourselves well after this solemnity, that, 6 as we have 
received Christ Jesus the Lord, we may so walk in him.' 



REFLECTIONS AFTER COMMUNION. 



81 



1. " We must see to it, that we be sincerely devout and 
pious. It is not enough that we live soberly and righteous- 
ly, but -we must live godly, in this present world, and our 
sacramental engagements should stir us up to abound there- 
in more and more. After an interview with our friends, by 
which mutual acquaintance is improved, and mutual affec- 
tions confirmed, we are more constant and endearing in our 
correspondence with each other ; so we should be with God 
after this ordinance, more frequent in holy ejaculations and 
breathings of soul after God, intermixed even with common 
business and conversation ; more abundant in reading, med- 
itation and solemn prayer ; more diligent in our attendance 
on public ordinances, more fixed and enlarged in closet de- 
votions, and more lively and affectionate in our family wor- 
ship. Those religious exercises wherein we have formerly 
been remiss and careless, easily persuaded to put them by, 
or put them off, we should now be more constant to, and 
and more careful in, more close in our application to them, 
and more serious in our performance of them. 

" If we have indeed found that it is good for us to draw 
near to God, we will endeavor to keep near to him, so near 
to him, as on every occasion to speak to him, and to hear 
from him. If this sacrament has been our delight, the word 
will be our delight, and we will daily converse with it ; 
prayer will be our delight, and we will give ourselves to it, 
and continue in it. They that have been feasted on the 
sacrifice of atonement, ought to abound in sacrifices of ac- 
knowledgment, the spiritual sacrifices of prayer and praise, 
and a broken heart which are acceptable to God through 
Jesus Christ : and having in our flock a male, we must offer 
that, and not a corrupt thing. 

" It is a shame of many who are called Christians, and 
■ have a name and a place in God's family, that they are 
as backward and indifferent in holy duties, as if they were 
7 



82 



REFLECTIONS AETER COMMUNION. 



afraid of doing too much for God and their own souls, and 
as if their chief care were to know just how much will serve 
to bring them to heaven, that they may do no more. They 
can be content to go a mile, but they are not willing to go 
twain. And does it become those on whom God has sown 
so plentifully, to make their returns so sparingly ? Ought 
we not rather to inquire what free-will offerings we may 
bring to God's altar ; and how we may do more in religion 
than we have been doing ? They that have found how good 
a table the Lord keeps, and how welcome they have been to 
it, should desire to dwell in his house all the days of their 
life ; and blessed are they that do so, ' they will be still 
praising him.' 

2. "We must see to it, that we are conscientiously just 
and honest. We do not only contradict our profession, and 
give ourselves the lie, but we reproach the religion we pro- 
fess and give it the lie, if, after we have been at this sacra- 
ment, we deceive or defraud our brethren in any matter ; 
for this is that which the Lord our God requires of us, that 
we do justly, that is, that we never do wrong to any, in 
their body, goods, or good name, and that we ever study 
to render to all their due, according to the relation we stand 
in, and the obligation we lie under to them. 4 That, there- 
fore, which is altogether just ('justice ' as the word is,) thou 
Shalt folio w.' There are many who make no great preten- 
sions to religion, and yet natural conscience, sense of honor, 
and a regard to the common good, keep them strictly just 
in all their dealings, and they would scorn to do a base or 
dishonest thing ; and shall not the bonds of this ordinance, 
added to those inducements, restrain us from every thing 
that has the appearance of fraud and injustice ? A Chris- 
tian, a communicant, and yet a cheat, yet a man not to be 
trusted, not to be dealt with but standing on one's guard ! 
How can these be reconciled ? Will that man be true to 



REFLECTIONS AFTER COMMUNION. 



83 



his God whom he lias not seen, that is false to his brother 
whom he has seen ? Shall he be entrusted with the true 
riches, that is i not faithful in the unrighteous mammon V 

" Let the remembrance of our sacramental vows be always 
fresh in our minds, to give a check to those secret coverings, 
which are the springs of all fraudulent practices. I hare 
disclaimed the world for a portion : shall I then, for the 
compassing of a little of its forbidden gain, wrong my broth- 
er, to whom I ought to do good ; wrong my profession, 
which I ought to adorn; and wrong my own conscience, 
which I ought to keep void of offence ? God forbid ! . I 
have likewise renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, 
and promised not to walk in craftiness ; ' by the grace of 
God, I will, therefore, ever have my conversation in the 
world, in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly 
wisdom.' They that are so well skilled in the arts of de- 
ceit, as to save themselves from the scandal of it, yet can- 
not thereby save themselves from the guilt of it, and the 
ruin that attends it ; for doubtless ' the Lord is the avenger 
of all such. Those that cheat their neighbors, cannot cheat 
their God, but will prove in the end to have cheated them- 
selves into everlasting misery ; and what is a man profited, 
if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul.' 

3, " We must see to it, that we are religiously meek and 
peaceable. We must not only come from this ordinance in 
a calm and quiet frame of mind, but we must always keep 
ourselves in such a frame. By the meekness and gentleness 
of Christ, (which the Apostle mentions as a most powerful 
charm,) let us be wrought upon to be always meek and gen- 
tle, as those that have learned of him. The storms of pas- 
sion that are here calmed, must never be suffered to make 
head again ; nor must the enmities that are here slain, ever 
-be revived. Having eaten this passover, we must all our 
life long keep the feast, without ' the leaven of malice 



84 



REFLECTIONS AFTER COMMUNION. 



and wickedness.' Having been feasted at wisdom's table, 
Ave must always abide under the conduct and influence of 
that wisdom, which is ' first pure, and then peaceable, gen- 
tle, and easy to be entreated.' God was greatly displeased 
with those that, after they released their bond-servants, ac- 
cording to the law, recalled their releases, and brought them 
into subjection again. And so will he be with those who 
seem to set aside their quarrels when they come from the 
sacrament, but as soon as the pang of their devotion is over 
the heat of their passion returns, and they resume their 
quarrels, and revive all their angry resentments ; thereby 
making it appear, that they did never truly forgive, and 
therefore were never forgiven of God. 

" Let those that have had communion with God in this 
ordinance, be able to appeal to their relations and domes- 
tics, and all they converse with concerning this ; and to 
vouch them for witnesses, that they have mastered their 
passions, and are grown more mild and quiet in their fami- 
lies than sometimes they have been ; and that even when 
they are most provoked, they know both how to hear reason 
and how to speak it. Whatever others do, let us never give 
occasion to the enemies of the Lord to say, that the serious- 
ness of religion makes men sour and morose, and that zeal 
in devotion disposes the mind to peevishness and passion ; 
but let' us evidence the contrary, that the grace of God does 
indeed make men good-natured, and that- the pleasures of 
serious godliness make men truly cheerful and easy to all 
about them. Having been sealed ' to the day of redemp- 
tion, let us not grieve the Holy Spirit of God,' that blessed 
dove ; and that we may not do so, ' let all bitterness, and 
wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil-speaking, be put 
away from us^with all 'malice.' 

4. " We must see to it, that we be strictly sober and 
chaste. Gluttony, and drunkenness, and fleshly lusts, are 



REFLECTIONS AFTER COMMUNION. 



85 



as great a reproach as can be to those that profess relation 
to Christ, and the expectation of eternal life. It becomes 
those that have been feasted at the table of the Lord, and 
have there tasted the pleasures of the spiritual and divine 
life, to be dead to all the delights of sense, and to make it 
appear that they are so, by a holy indifference to them. 
Let not the flesh be indulged to the prejudice of the spirit, 
nor provision be made for the fulfilling of the lusts thereof. 
Have we been entertained with the dainties of heaven ? Let 
us not be desirous of the dainties of sense, nor solicitous to 
have the appetite gratified, and all our enjoyments to the 
highest degree pleasing. It was the sin and shame of the 
Israelites in the wilderness, that while they were fed with 
manna, angel's food, they lusted, saying, ' Who will give 
us flesh to eat ?' And they sin after the similitude of that 
transgression, who, when they have eaten the bread of life, 
and drunk the water of life, yet continue to be as curious 
and careful about their meat and drink, as if they knew no 
better things, and had their happiness bound up in them ; 
as if the kingdom of God were in this sense, meat and drink, 
and a Turkish paradise were their heaven. Surely they 
that are of this spirit serve not our Lord Christ, but their 
own bellies. 

"But if .they thus shame themselves who indulge the 
flesh though their reason remains with them ; what shall 
we think of those who, by their intemperance, put themselves 
quite out of possession of their own souls, unfit themselves 
for the service of God, and level themselves with the beasts ? 
A Christian, a communicant, and yet a tippler, a drunkard, 
and a companion with those that run to this excess of riot ! 

This is the sin that has been the scandal and ruin of many, 
who, having begun in the spirit, have thus ended in the flesh ; 
this is that which has quenched the Spirit, hardened the 
heart, besotted the head, debauched the conscience, wither- 
7* 



86 



REFLECTIONS AFTER COMMUNION. 



ed the profession, and so has slain its thousands, and its ten 
thousands. Against this sin, the Lord's prophet must cry 
aloud and spare not ; and dare those who partake < of the cup of 
the Lord, drink of the cup of devils?' Can there be so much 
concord between light and darkness, between Christ and 
Belial ? No, there cannot ; these are contrary, the one to 
the other. If men's communicating, will not break them 
off from drunkenness, their drunkenness must break them 
off from communicating ; for these are spots in our feasts of 
charity ; and, if God be true, < drunkards shall not inherit the 
kingdom of God.' Let me, therefore, with all earnestness, 
as one that desires to obtain mercy of the Lord to be faith- 
ful, warn all that profess religion and relation to Christ, to 
stand upon their guard against this snare, which has been 
fatal to multitudes. As you value the favor of God, the 
comforts of the Spirit, the credit of your profession, and the 
welfare of your own souls here and hereafter, take heed of 
being entangled, in any temptations to this sin ; shun the 
society of these evil-doers, abstain from all appearances of 
sin ; watch and be sober. It is not for Christians to drink 
to excess, and to allow themselves in those riotings and 
revelings, which even the sober heathen condemned and ab- 
horred. 

"Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, andlaciviousness, are 
likewise lusts of the flesh, and defiling to the *soul, which, 
therefore, all those must carefully avoid that profess to be 
led by the Spirit : they are abominable things which the 
Lord hates, and which we also must hate. Are not our 
bodies temples of the Holy Ghost ? Dare we then defile 
them ? Are they not members of Christ ? And shall we 
make them members of a harlot ? Let those that eat of the 
holy things, be holy both in body and spirit, and possess their 
vessels in sanctification and honor, and not in the lusts of 
uncleanness. Let those eyes never be guilty of a wanton 



REFLECTIONS AFTER COMMUNION. 8T 

look, that have here seen Christ evidently set forth crucified 
among us ; let not lewd, corrupt communication proceed out 
of that mouth into which God's covenant has been taken ; 
let not unclean, lascivious thoughts be entertained in that 
heart in which the holy Jesus vouchsafes to dwell. Let 
those that have eaten of wisdom's bread, and drunk the wine 
that she has mingled, never hearken to the invitations of 
the foolish woman, who courts the unwary to stolen waters, 
and bread eaten in secret, under pretense that they are 
sweet and pleasant; ' for the dead are there, and her guests 
are in the depths of hell.' 

5. " We must see to it, that we be abundantly charitable 
and beneficent. It is not enough that we do no hurt; but 
if we would order our conversation aright, we must, as we 
have opportunity, do good to all men, as becomes those to 
whom God in Christ is good, and does good, and who pro- 
fess themselves the disciples and followers of Him who went 
about doing good. Shall we be selfish, and seek our own 
things only, who have here seen how Christ humbled him- 
self for us ? Shall we be sparing of our pains for our breth- 
ren's good, who have here seen Christ among us, as one 
that serves, as one that suffers, and as one who came not to 
be ministered unto, ' but to minister, and to give his life a 
ransom for many ?' Shall we be shy of speaking to, or 
speaking for our poor brethren, who have here seen our 
Lord Jesus not ashamed to own us, and intercede for us, 
notwithstanding our poverty and meanness ? Shall we be 
strait-handed in distributing to the necessities of the saints, 
who have here found Christ so liberal and open-handed in 
imparting to us, not only the gospel of God, but even his 
own soul ? After we have been at this ordinance, we should 
show how much w r e are affected with our receiving there, by 
being ready and forward Ho every good work ;' because our 
goodness extends not to God, it ought to extend to the 



88 



REFLECTIONS AFTER COMMUNION. 



saints that are in the earth. Thus we must be followers of 
God as dear children ; we must walk in love, as here we see 
Christ that loved us, and hath given himself for us. 

6. " We must see to it, that we be more taken off from 
this world, and more taken up with another world. A 
Christian then lives like himself, when he lives above the 
things that are seen, which are temporal, and looks upon 
them with a holy contempt, and keeps his eye fixed upon the 
things that are not seen, which are eternal, looking upon 
them with a holy concern. We are not of this world, but 
we are called out of it ; we belong to another world, and are 
designed for it; we must, therefore, 'seek those things that 
are above, and not set our affections on things beneath.' 

" The thoughts of Christ crucified should wean us from 
this world. By frequent meditation on the cross of Christ, 
' the world will be crucified to us, and we to the world;' that 
is, the world and we shall grow very indifferent to each other, 
and no love shall be lost between us. 

" The thoughts of Christ glorified should raise our hearts 
to that blessed place where Christ ' sitteth on the right 
hand of God, and from whence we look for the Saviour.' 
When we commemorate Christ's entrance within the veil as 
our forerunner, and have good hopes of following him short- 
ly ; when we think of his being in paradise, and of our being 
with him ; how should our affections be carried out towards 
that joy of our Lord ! How studious should we be to do 
the work of heaven, conform to the laws of heaven, and 
converse as may be with the glorious society there ! Hav- 
ing received the adoption of sons, we should improve our 
acquaintance with, and raise our expectations of, the inher- 
itance of sons." 



REFLECTIONS AETEE COMMUNION. 



89 



A PRAYER FOR ONE RETURNING FROM COMMUNION. 

Almighty and most merciful God, thy compassions are great. 
My soul is subdued into penitence, and thankfulness, in view of 
the sweet consolations of thy grace, and in view of thy condescension 
in exercising mercy towards man, in allowing thyself to com- 
mune with him, and in permitting him to commune with thee in 
the holy Supper. Adored be thy holy name, G-od ! for thy 
unspeakable gift and whilst I return from thy sweet communion, 
may the savor of it follow me, and may the remembrance of Jesus 
as my sanctifier, and redeemer from sin, be ever present to mind. 
And, forbid, Almighty God i thai: I, Judas-like, should betray 
my Lord and Saviour, either by neglecting my duty, or by falling 
into wilful sin. O may I not be left to coldness and luke-warm- 
ness ; may I, most of all, dread coldness and indifference toward 
thee. Lord, do thou work in me to will and to do of thy good 
pleasure. Suffer not, Lord, thy feeble child to fall, but uphold 
thou me with thy powerful hand and grant that I may " press 
forward toward the mark of the prize of the high calling of God 
in Christ Jesus." 

" As Jesus is my exemplar, may I walk as he walked j" and 
though I should not come up to the measure of a perfect imitation 
of Jesus my Saviour, may I, nevertheless, covet earnestly the best 
gifts, and become more and more conformed to the image of him 
who " died for me, and rose again." help me, Lord, I beseech 
thee, to flee from sin, from lusts that war against the soul, and 
especially from " the sin that doeth so easily beset me." Lord 
help, and let not my soul bring reproach upon thy name. Let not 
my heart rob thee of that service and homage which is thy due. 
May the fear of thy holy name, and the love of Christ constrain 
me to a holy walk and conversation, that I may ever be ready to 
say, " for me to live is Christ, and to die is gain," and " that, 
whether present or absent, I may be accepted " of him. These 
things I ask for his name's sake. Amen. 

Our Father, &c. 



CHAPTER X. 



THE CHURCH-MEMBER, CONSIDERED IN RELATION TO THAT 
BRANCH OF THE CHURCH, OF WHICH HE IS A MEMBER, 



It is the duty of a church-member to become acquainted, 
so far as he may have the time and means, with the history 
and present position of his denomination. It is his duty to 
become acquainted with her doctrines, and her origin and 
history. If she have a distinctive character, a character that 
differs in some respects from all other denominations, he 
should know it. If she hold a form of doctrine, that distin- 
guishes her, and if that form of doctrine and discipline have 
merits of its own, being founded upon, and in agreement 
with the holy Scriptures, and forming an important part of 
Christian doctrine, he should be ready and willing to defend 
it. He should thus be found willing to " contend earnestly 
for the faith once delivered to the saints." 

Indifference to the important truths of Christianity is sin- 
ful. Only by a living, active interest in the truth, can the 
member of the church fulfill his whole duty as he ought. 
Only by his interest here, will he be active and alive in the 
performance of his duties elsewhere. His piety will be af- 
fected by his doctrines, and especially by his interest in 
those doctrines. If he be indifferent in his views of religious 
truth, his piety will either go astray, leading him to " zeal 
without knowledge," or else it will suffer in its ardor, and 
lead to a diminution of zeal. 

On the other hand, he should not be unduly attached to 
his opinions. This would be bigotry. Bigotry is such an 



DUTY TO ONE'S OWN CHURCH. 



91 



attachment to opinions or practices, as they do not deserve. 
It is an unreasonable attachment ; it is blind zeal, founded 
merely on prejudice and party spirit. Such was the zeal 
of the Jews in holding on to the outward forms merely of 
Judaism. 

The Christian should hold his essential, or at least, im- 
portant particular doctrines, with a view of seeing them re- 
conciled on a higher basis, and thus have the way prepared 
for the union of the Church in one body, so that all Chris- 
tians may fully cooperate with each other in building up the 
Redeemer's kingdom, without let or hindrance. He should 
" look not only upon his own things, but also on the things 
of others," confining himself, however, always within his 
own proper sphere, and not interfering with the rights and 
duties of others, and so making himself " a busy body in 
other men's matters." He should cultivate a fraternal 
feeling toward all Christians, praying and laboring for the 
" unity of the Spirit, in the bonds of peace," bearing in 
mind the words of the Saviour : " Neither pray I for these 
alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through 
their word : that they may all be one ; as thou, Father, art 
in me, and I in thee, that they also maybe one in us : that 
the world may believe that thou hast sent me." 

The German Reformed Church has a distinctive charac- 
ter. She originated at a time when men took a lively in- 
terest in the truth ; the time of the Reformation, when the 
great body of Protestants divided into different parties, 
among which were chiefly the Lutheran and Reformed, and 
a little later, the Calvinistic. The Reformed were led for a 
while by Zwingli of Switzerland, under whose guidance they 
earnestly sought a reconciliation with Luther; but Zwingli 
soon dying, no union was effected. The Reformed Church, 
however, true to her conciliatory character, made another 
effort, after the death of Luther, to unite the two commu- 



92 



DUTY TO ONE'S OWN CHURCH. 



nions by forming that excellent summary of doctrines, the 
Heidelberg Catechism, and partly succeeded. Her doc- 
trines were formed to reconcile differences, not, however, 
by becoming indifferent to theories, and to essential or even 
important doctrines ; but by leaving out such as are unim- 
portant, or on which there may be admitted differences of 
opinion, and by placing essential and important doctrines 
in such a position, as to leave room to reconcile conflicting 
and one-sided views, by carrying them forward to a higher 
position. She was the product of that part of the Protest- 
ants, who longed and prayed for a union among Protestants, 
whilst, at the same time, she held on, with a firm grasp, to 
what was good and true in the old Catholicism. She has a 
mission still to fulfil. Her voice, though not yet heard as 
it ought to be, will be heard in fulfilment of the prayer of 
the Saviour, that his people may all be one, as he and the 
Father are one, that the world may believe that God has 
sent him. 

In his own Church, first of all, should the church-member 
labor for the interests of religion. In laboring there to 
promote the cause of true religion, he most effectually pro- 
motes the cause of religion in the world at large. Every 
man should " build over against his own house," and thus 
help to rear the common structure, the " city set upon a 
hill that cannot be hid." 

First, let us notice the general interests of the Church, 
among which are several institutions and enterprises, which 
are essential to her prosperity and to the conversion of the 
world. 

The first of these are schools of learning for the educa- 
tion of ministers. It is no longer a matter of doubt, that 
an educated ministry is necessary; and it is perhaps equally 
evident, that the most efficient method of educating minis- 
ters is by the endowment of institutions, and the calling of 



DUTY TO ONE'S OWN CHURCH. 



93 



professors, who shall make it their particular business to 
train and educate men for the office of the ministry. Christ 
educated his apostles, although they had the inspiration of 
the Holy Spirit besides. With equal propriety, yea, with 
equal necessity, we may say, should the successors of Christ 
teach others who succeed them. Paul, instructing Timothy 
with regard to this duty, says : " And the things that thou 
hast heard of me, among many witnesses, the same commit 
thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.' 5 
The custom of instructing candidates for the ministry, was 
practiced by Christ and his apostles, and in fulfilment of 
their practice and their injunctions, it is necessary that we, 
for the sake of efficiency in the work of preparing young 
men for the responsible office of the ministry, should estab- 
lish schools of learning, where a number of pupils can be 
assembled, and enjoy the advantages of the best instructions, 
and where men, the best qualified to teach, can impart their 
instructions to a larger number at once. 

In this work, we have a still more ancient example than 
that of the apostles, viz : that of the prophets. The custom 
of instructing candidates for the sacred office of prophet, or 
teacher, was in vogue in the time of the ancient prophets. 
Samuel, who was one of the first of the regular prophets, 
was the first who received others and instructed them to be- 
come teachers of the people; and in his time were com- 
menced the institutions which were called, " The schools of 
the prophets." Those, upon whom the spirit of prophecy 
fell, were received into these schools to prepare them 
more fully to stand as watchmen on the walls of Zion. If 
such institutions were necessary when men enjoyed the ben- 
efits of direct inspiration, how much more are they neces- 
sary at this time, when men must give themselves more ex- 
clusively " to reading, to exhortation and to doctrine ?" 
These institutions must be supported by the Christian pub- 
8 



94 



DUTY TO ONE'S OWN CHURCH. 



lie. It is the solemn duty of the church-member to contri- 
bute of his substance, in proportion to his increase, toward 
the endowment of colleges and seminaries. They are a 
necessary means of carrying forward the cause of God in 
the world, and no Christian who has that cause at heart can 
innocently omit his duty in this respect. 

Paul was taught at the feet of Gamaliel. Gamaliel was 
a teacher in the synagogue or church. These synagogues 
came in the room of the schools of the prophets, after the 
seventy years' captivity of the Jews in Babylon, and were 
established and kept up by the people of the Jews. In them 
the scribes instructed the people in the law of Moses. In 
some of these synagogues were chief instructors, who taught 
others to become teachers or scribes. Gamaliel was one of 
those chief instructors. 

In these institutions — thus under the watchful eye, and 
tender care of the people — whatever of knowledge and true 
religion was still existing among the Jews in the time of our 
Saviour, was communicated and perpetuated. If the Jews 
considered it a privilege and duty thus to keep up the ora- 
cles of God amongst them, how much more should the Chris- 
tian keep up the more lively oracles of the j^sew dispensa- 
sion, since the gospel under it, with all its forms of admin- 
istration, is more especially the power of God unto salvation ? 

Dear Christian reader, the watchmen who are now stand- 
ing on the walls of Zion, and watching for souls, as those 
that must give account, will soon fall. How shall their 
places be filled ? Others must be preparing for the work, 
or you will be left as sheep without a shepherd. If you do 
not consider yourself called to preach, allow me to urge 
upon you the duty of helping others, who are ready and 
willing to engage in the work. Speak to that young man, 
who seems to possess the love of souls, and help him to pre- 
pare himself to labor for their welfare. Help with your 



DUTY TO ONE'S OWN CHURCH. 



95 



money, to establish and keep up a College and Seminary, 
and sustain him there, if he need your assistance. 

But you should not only give your means ; you should 
also give your prayers. These institutions of learning should 
become objects of your affections and prayers. Without 
God's help, nothing can be accomplished. " Without me, 
ye can do nothing." Give of your substance, and let your 
supplications ascend to the throne of grace, that your gift 
may be prospered in the direction in which it is appropria- 
ted, and let your supplications ascend to the throne of grace, 
that others may " come up to the help of the Lord, to the 
help of the Lord against the mighty;" for the Lord turns 
the heart of men, as the rivers of water are turned, and the 
effectual and fervent prayer of the righteous availeth much, 
and if we ask anything according to his will, he will hear us. 



A PRAYER. FOE, INSTITUTIONS OF LEARNING. 

Lord, thou hast, in all ages, had those who were as ensigns of 
the people, and believing it to be thy will, that they should be still 
continued, and multiplied in number, and prepared for the labor 
of winning souls to Christ, I would implore thy blessing upon the 
efforts of thy people, in rearing and sustaining institutions for the 
promotion of knowledge and piety in those, who shall be called to 
stand as watchmen on the walls of Zion. May these institutions 
ever be the seats of virtue and religion ! May they ever be the 
fountains of godliness and pure doctrines. May those who come 
from thence, have a double portion of the Spirit of their divine 
Master, that they may go forth to bless the world j and may " the 
wilderness and the solitary places be glad for them, and the desert 
rejoice and blossom as the rose." 

Lord, put it into the hearts of many to take up their cross, if 
cross it be indeed, and become ensigns of the people^ to proclaim 



96 



DUTY TO ONE'S OWN CHURCH. 



from the sacred desk the glad tidings of salvation to a fallen world. 
Lord, send forth laborers into thy vineyard ; send forth laborers 
to the harvest ; for " the harvest truly is plenteous, but the labor- 
ers are few." And grant, dearest Lord, to influence the hearts 
of those, who have named thy name, to come to the help of those 
who have consecrated themselves to serve thee in the holy minis- 
try. Bo thou " establish the work of their hands" for thy truth's 
sake, Amen, 



CHAPTER XI. 



MISSIONS. 



The word mission is derived from a word that means to 
send. Missions are those enterprises in which the Church, 
in some collective capacity, sends her ministers to destitute 
places to build up congregations, and aids in their support. 
It is the duty of the Church to send her ministers to those 
who do not enjoy the opportunity of hearing the gospel, and 
of becoming members of the Church. Whilst it is her duty 
to labor and pray for the success of the gospel at home, 
with those who now hear it, it is, at the same time, her duty 
to send it abroad to those who do not hear it. Whilst our 
Saviour preached in the land of Judea, he also preached in 
Galilee of the Gentiles. The Church should not wait until 
all are converted at home, before she directs her efforts 
abroad. Yea, rather, when men will reject the word of life 
at home, she should turn from them and seek for success 
elsewhere ; and, like Paul, say : " Since you deem your- 
selves unworthy of eternal life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles." 

What is the duty of the Church in general, is the duty of 
every church-member in particular. Every church-member 
should consider himself sent from God to the world, and 
commissioned to impart the blessings of Christianity to oth- 
ers, so far as it may be in his power to do so. The Saviour 
himself was a missionary. He was sent from heaven on a 
mission of mercy, and having now returned to heaven, he 
has commissioned his people to carry out his designs. "As 
the Father hath sent me, so send I you." Though, as a 
church-member, you may not be able to go yourself, you 
8* 



98 



MISSIONS. 



may, nevertheless, help to send others. You may commu- 
nicate of your means to support those, who, in the spirit of 
their divine Master, are willing to deny themselves of the 
comforts of home, and Christian society, and go to heathen 
lands, and to the destitute portions of our own country, and 
break to them the bread of life. " To do good, and to com- 
municate, forget not ; for with such sacrifices God is well 
pleased." 

Another feature in the missionary work, is, that it is a 
work of faith. The missionary labors, at times, a long 
while without meeting with any apparent success. The 
moral darkness seems to be so great that the light cannot 
penetrate it. You may apparently contribute your money 
in vain. But in this, as in other things, perseverance, with 
the blessing of God, will conquer all things. Moreover, 
sometimes your money may not be applied where it ought 
to be. You cannot see and know all the circumstances of 
each field of missionary operations, and by a mistaken wis- 
dom and an erring prudence, the places which most need 
and well deserve your aid, may be passed by. The best 
plan, therefore, seems to be, that you should give according 
to yonr ability, and commit it to those to apply it who have 
been chosen by the Church to look out destitute places, and 
send the necessary assistance. The best plan is, that you 
should give in faith, in reliance upon God for his blessing. 
In the missionary work, they who give, and they who labor 
in word and doctrine, should, in an eminent degree, " walk 
by faith, not by sight." 



A PRAYER FOR MISSIONS. 



Lord God ! thou hast all power in heaven and on earth. Thou 

sayest and it is done. Thou commandest, and it stands fast. 



MISSIONS. 



99 



Thou callest mankind to repentance, and thou canst make thy call 
effectual to salvation. Thou sendest thy messenger before thy 
face, and thou accompaniest him with the Holy Ghost sent down 
from heaven. Lord ! how feeble is man unaccompanied with thy 
help and thy blessing ! Lord, we beseech thee, send help from 
the sanctuary ; warm the hearts of thy people with love for their 
fellow-men. 0, send thy gospel to the heathen. Send out thy 
light and thy truth among all nations. Send by whom thou wilt 
send j and grant that " thy power may be made known upon 
earth, and thy saving health among all nations." ! hasten the 
time, the glorious time, when " the knowledge of the Lord shall 
cover the earth, as the waters cover the sea." 

Do thou support, with thy powerful spiritual aid, thy servants 
in heathen lands and in the destitute portions of our own country. 
make bear thine arm, through their instrumentality, in the con- 
version of multitudes. may they be strong in the Lord and in 
the power of his might ; and, without fear of man, cry aloud and 
spare not. May they be strengthened with might by thy Spirit 
in the inner man ; and, deeply conscious of the importance of their 
mission, and of the approbation of their G-od, as well as of the val- 
ue of fcouls, may they speak the truth in love and sincerity, with- 
out fear of frowns, or expectation of reward from men. 

Do thou help thy people to consecrate their all to thee, and 
come to the aid of those, who sit in the region and shadow of death. 
may they not withhold from thee and thy servants, that which 
is due. May not their prayers and gifts cease j but with the firm 
determination, with thy blessing, to uphold the hands and hearts 
of thy servants, may they bring the tithes into the store-house. 
Help them to crucify " the love of money." May every avari- 
cious thought be brought into subjection to thee, that they may 
" seek, first, the kingdom of G-od and his righteousness." Help 
them to crucify the flesh with all its sinful affections and lusts. 
May they not be stumbling blocks in the way of the advancement 
of truth and righteousness. send forth thy glorious gospel ! 
Spirit of the living G-od ! lift up the standard, and cause to be 
proclaimed the news of salvation, in demonstration of the Spirit, 
and with power. Amen. 



CHAPTER XII. 



RELIGIOUS NEWSPAPERS, PERIODICALS AND BOOKS. 



" The leaves are 'for the healing of the nations.'" 

It is a great blessing to the world, that the art of printing 
has been discovered, and that thus the means of obtaining 
information are now so abundant. The prophecy of Daniel, 
" Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be in- 
creased," is being fulfilled. By means of religious news- 
papers, information is obtained of the condition and pros- 
pects of the Church — of her missionary enterprises — their 
success and their difficulties, and the duty of the Church 
with regard to them — of " the schools of the prophets 
their prosperity or adversity, and their wants, and the duty 
of the Church with regard to them. All the varied reli- 
gious interests of the day are presented in the newspapers 
of the Church, and thus our minds are stirred up by way of 
remembrance, and we are stimulated to prayer and active 
benevolence. 

If we love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity, we will be 
interested in knowing the success and progress of his cause 
among men ; we will be interested in knowing whether that 
cause is advancing or retreating. If we love the Lord, we 
will love his Church, and we will be interested in becoming 
advised of all her interests and enterprises. It is the duty 
of the member of the Church to take the newspaper of his 
own denomination. As the world now stands, the cause of 
religion cannot be sustained and advanced without this 



RELIGIOUS NEWSPAPERS. 



101 



means of information; and, it is, therefore, the duty of those 
who love 'that cause, to support the religious paper as a 
means of promoting it. If they cannot use it themselves, 
which is rarely, if ever, the case, let them furnish it to oth- 
ers, who would gladly read it, but cannot afford to subscribe 
and pay for it. At least, help to support the paper, so that 
those who wish to subscribe for, and read the paper, may 
have an opportunity of doing so. 

Periodicals also, which are published once a month, or 
once in two or three months, and are designed to present 
and recommend particular subjects and particular interests 
in religion, which cannot so well be presented in a general 
circulating newspaper, claim our attention. So also books 
on religious subjects of importance, such as the history of 
the Church, and the lives of individual members of the 
Church. These are all important, as a means of edification 
to church-members ; and especially to those who wish to be 
useful- — to those who wish to advance in holiness and knowl- 
edge. They should, therefore, be encouraged and supported. 

It is the duty of the Church to furnish a religious litera- 
ture, drawn from the Bible, and from the history of the 
Church, and from the present time. Men will read, and if 
they have not wholesome literature, they will take that 
which is pernicious. Every age demands its periodicals, 
books, and newspapers, as well as the Bible. The Holy 
Scriptures, as they are studied in connection with the ever 
new appearing periods in the flight of time, will produce 
new thoughts, and new subjects for the consideration of 
mankind, and these thoughts must be communicated in vol- 
umes ; the " leaves are for the healing of the nations/' 



102 



PERIODICALS AND BOOKS. 



A PRAYER FOR THE SUCCESS OE RELIGIOUS LITERATURE. 

Almighty and all-knowing God ! who didst command the light 
to shine out of darkness, and didst shine into our hearts, giving us 
the light of the glorious gospel, we beseech thee, follow with thy 
blessing thy own written word. Make it effectual in turning 
men from the error of their ways— from darkness to light— from 
sin and Satan to thee. To this end, may it be sent forth by thy 
people, and may it be reverenced in every family and in every na- 
tion. Do thou cause " thy law to be magnified above all thy 
naine." May thy word be " for the healing of the nations/' May 
all see and know the truth. May it be upon the door posts, and 
at the gates of the city. May it be in the family circle, and upon 
the highway, and may all learn to know thee, whom to know aright 
is life everlasting. - May all know thee from the least to the great- 
est. grant, that thy word may be received with affection, and 
preserved from perversion. Grant grace to thy people to under- 
stand and interpret thy holy word. Preserve them from the er- 
rors which are abroad in the world. Grant thy blessing to those 
who shall be placed as instructors in the Church. May they re- 
ceive thy guidance, and may thy Spirit lead them into ail truth. 

Bestow thy blessing upon the productions of the press. Grant 
to their authors clear heads and pure hearts. Control their judg- 
ment and guide their reason, that they may not seek their own 
will, but the will of him who sent them. May they have an eye 
single to thy glory. And be pleased, Lord, to sanctify every 
channel of intelligence, that there may none be left to advocate 
the cause of the wicked one. May not the faith of thy people fail. 
" Lorclt ; increase their faith," and may he who walks in the midst 
of the golden candlesticks, cheer them by his presence in the con- 
flict ;^ and may they by him triumphantly sing, " The Lord God 
Omnipotent reigneth V- Amen. 



CHAPTER XIII. 



THE ptHJRC H-MEMBER IN THE CONGREGATION : HIS RELATION 
TO HIS PASTOR AND THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL. 



Ie you have been truly converted, you will manifest your 
love of Christ and God's cause in the congregation. You 
will show forth with the meekness of wisdom, out of a good 
conversation, your attachment to the Church and your love 
of God. You will ever bear in mind your duty to " let your 
light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, 
and glorify your Father, which is in heaven." You will 
have a steady, religious principle — a feeling of duty and 
privilege — to promote the glory of God, the prosperity of 
the Church, and the welfare of souls, by a holy walk and 
conversation in the world, and by a disinterested and hum- 
ble deportment in the congregation, and in all your inter- 
course with your brethren and fellow-members. A mani- 
festation of that charity which is " the bond of perfectness," 
which is the genuine chord of love, and a being " of one 
heart and one mind " with those who sincerely love the 
Lord Jesus Christ, will be a distinguishing trait of your 
Christian character. 

" He that loveth is of God ; for God is love." This char- 
ity — this ardent, sincere, and heartfelt attachment, will en- 
able you to go through the severest self-denials, and the 
sharpest trials. It will enable you to submit cheerfully to 
the teachings and exhortations of the gospel ; to reproach 
and wrong for the gospel's sake : and to any measure or any 



101 



DUTY TO THE PASTOR. 



course which is calculated to promote the welfare of the 
Church and of religion. It will restrain you from indulging 
a censorious and contentious spirit, which is such a fearful 
cause of evil in the Church. 

1. This charity will manifest itself in a punctual and de- 
vout attendance at the house of God. You will be enabled 
to say, " I love the tents of Zion more than all the dwellings 
of Jacob." That individual, who has been truly converted, 
will be seen every Sabbath at his place in the sanctuary, 
listening, with devout attention, to the heavenly knowledge, 
which falls from the minister's lips ; for he " seeks the law 
at his mouth." He treasures up the sweet word of God in 
his heart, and his very presence and manner shows that he 
feels the importance of the worship of God's house. There 
he is to be seen, whether circumstances are favorable or un- 
favorable, with those whom he has under his care and con- 
trol; and by his devotion and interest in the ordinances of 
God's house, it may be seen that he is edified and strength- 
ened • that he finds there what his soul needs, even that 
which the world cannot give. Reader, is this true of you ? 
Ah ! happy soul art thou, if the love of God which passeth 
knowledge, thus keeps your heart and mind through Jesus 
Christ. Favored child of heaven ! if thou lookest not at 
the things which are seen and are temporal, but at the 
things which are not seen and are eternal. 

2. This charity will manifest itself in a proper regard and 
respect for the the preacher of the gospel. 

The pious hearer regards the minister as a channel of 
divine influence, notwithstanding his imperfections, and, as 
such, he highly esteems him in love, for his work's sake." 
He regards him as an " ambassador of Jesus Christ," and 
as such, he listens to his words as being the message from 
God, which the minister is in duty bound to deliver and the 
hearer to receive. If your minister be an honest man, and 



DUTY TO THE PASTOR. 



105 



desire to do good, and preach true doctrine, God designs 
to bless his labors. He will "let none of his words fall to 
the. ground." They will be either "a savor of life unto 
life, or of death unto death." Let a man be ever so im- 
perfect, if he preach good doctrine in the main, he will be 
the means of blessing to those who hear him ; for God will 
bless his own word with a proper blessing, when it is preach- 
ed in his own Church. 

I do not, however, wish to be understood to say, that 
talents and gifts of a high order should be undervalued in 
the ministry. But what I wish to impress upon your mind 
is the fact, that there is a power and force in the ministerial 
office and in the ministerial work, which God has bestowed 
upon it, and that this is the chief thing to be kept in view. 
God, as it were, speaks through his ministering servants. 
Christ and the Holy Ghost influence them and sanction what 
is said in accordance with the Scriptures, so that they may 
say indeed, "As though God did beseech you by us, we 
pray you, in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God." 

As a church-m ember, you should guard against forming 
prejudices unfavorable to your minister, and against making 
to yourself itching ears. There are some, who have a cer- 
tain standard of pulpit eloquence in their minds, to which 
their minister must conform, else they will take no benefit 
to themselves from his preaching. He must have a certain 
naturally fine voice, and certain gestures; and a certain man- 
ner and style, else they will not listen to his preaching. 
This is an old error which crept into the Church in the days 
of the Apostles, when some said, " I am of Paul, I of Apol- 
los, and I of Peter," forgetting that it was Christ to whom 
and by whom they were converted ; and as if these unim- 
portant matters of style and manner were necessary to sal- 
vation, and a sufficient cause for separation. 

Let^all things be done and received, in this respect, with 
9 



106 



DUTY TO THE PASTOR. 



charity, as well as decently, and in order. Charity covers 
a multitude of imperfections. It is proper that both min- 
ister and people should covet earnestly the best gifts; but yet 
is there a more excellent way. A sincere desire to do good, 
a love for God, the Church, and souls, is superior to the 
best gifts, and with it the best gifts may even be dispensed 
with. A fine voice, a prepossessing appearance, a fluent 
tongue, and an elegant expression, are not the essential 
qualifications of a "good minister of Jesus Christ ;" for 
though he may speak with the tongue of men and of angels, 
yet if he have not charity, he becomes as sounding brass or 
a tinkling cymbal. 

Guard also against looking at the faults of your minister 
in such a way as to lose confidence in him, or in the mes- 
sage which he brings to you. He is a man of like passions 
with yourself, and no one is without some blemish in his 
character. ~No one is entirely perfect. Even Paul did not 
consider himself to have apprehended, or to have become 
perfect ; but he pressed forward and desired to improve. 
No greater spiritual calamity can befall a church-member, 
than to have his love and confidence in his minister destroy- 
ed. He can have no joy, no pleasure in the services of the 
sanctuary. He can derive no profit from the word preach- 
ed. And if this want of confidence be not founded on a 
sufficient cause, it is awfully sinful. The individual's own 
soul suffers in the loss of peace and comfort ; the congre- 
gation suffers ; his pastor is injured, and the Saviour is 
wounded. 

Most generally, the difficulties which arise between pas- 
tors and their flocks are uncalled for by the circumstances. 
Before a church-member withdraws his confidence, he should 
be well convinced, that he has a sufiicient reason for it ; and 
when he finds that he has sufficient reason to be dissatisfied* 
instead of indulging hatred and speaking evil of his pastor 



DUTY TO THE PASTOR. 



107 



to others, he should pray for him and speak to him, making 
known his objections in a friendly way, and endeavor to 
have them removed. By this means also should he labor 
together with his pastor for the faith of the gospel, and by 
his suggestions furnish him with matter for his pulpit min- 
istrations. As you value the peace and comfort of your 
own soul ; as you prize the success of the gospel in your con- 
gregation, guard, therefore, against the destruction of that 
charity which is the bond of perfectness, by magnifying the 
faults of your pastor, and withdrawing your confidence and 
prayers from him. He watches for your soul as one that 
must give account. You should, therefore, exercise chari- 
ty toward him, and give him your prayers and sympathies. 
His anxieties and labors are many. Ah ! little do you know 
the sense of responsibility which presses upon his mind. 
The apostle felt it when he said : " Brethren, pray for us, 
that the word of God may have free course and be glorified 
among you." 

It may be proper in this place to say a few words with 
regard to pastoral visits. When your pastor visits you, you 
should receive him in his character as a minister of Jesus 
Christ. You should receive him affectionately and cordially, 
and exercise full confidence in him as your spiritual friend. 
You should let your conversation turn as much as possible 
on religious subjects. If you have anything to say about 
the Church or the congregation ; if you have any doubt to 
remove, or any information to impart, now is the most 
suitable time to speak of these things. Your minister does 
not wish to spend much of his time in conversing on busi- 
ness and politics, and none at all in wholly vain conversa- 
tion or idle words. He has no time to lose. It is very 
precious to him. It is sometimes supposed, that a minister 
has a great many spare moments. But the truth is, of all 
men, he has the least to spare. Even in his moments of 



108 



DUTY TO THE PASTOR. 



recreation and rest, his mind should be preparing itself for 
its labor, and gathering materials for his work. Like his 
Master, he must feel like saving, " I must work the works 
of him that sent me, while it is day ; for the night cometh, 
wherein no man can work." 

Again, the spirit of charity will prompt you to support 
your pastor in a pecuniary point of view. You will not 
suffer benevolence to exist all on the side of your minister, 
by permitting him to toil all his life-long for your spiritual 
welfare and that of others, without assisting him, by sup- 
plying his temporal wants. You will not cripple his use- 
fulness by adding to his other cares and anxieties, the cares 
of subsistence. It is not recommended, that you enrich 
your pastor, although should he, by prudence and industry, 
come into the possession of wealth, it should be no dispar- 
agement to him, nor considered a calamity to the Church ; 
for in his hands, it would be more likely to be used to the 
glory of God, by being applied to the benevolent operations 
of the Church, than in other hands. It is recommended, 
however, that you give him a respectable support. 

Reason demands, that, as the house of worship should be 
convenient and sufficient for the accommodation of the au- 
dience which occupies it, so, in like manner, the household 
conveniences of the pastor should correspond with his sta- 
tion. Reason also teaches, that a minister should enjoy as 
many of the comforts and conveniences of life, as are en- 
joyed by the average of his congregation. This is neces- 
sary to his standing and respectability as a minister ; and 
charity, with that respect to which a minister, in regular 
standing, is entitled from his people, should prompt them to 
enable him to occupy that position. It is ridiculous, (and 
it would be unnecessary here to speak of it, were there not 
a disposition in some persons, otherwise well intentioned,) 
to be jealous of a minister's comforts. There arc those, who 



DUTY TO THE PASTOR. 



109 



suspect him of pride, if he will not live in a very humble 
dwelling. A preacher of the gospel can put up with any- 
thing, if it be necessary, and be happy and contented at 
the same time, even as Paul was, in whatever state he was 
placed. And like the indefatigable Apostle of the Gentiles, 
he will even labor with his own hands at a secular calling 
to support himself, when necessary. At the same time, 
however, like his illustrious predecessor in office, he will be 
thankful for any aid and comfort rendered him by the 
church or churches. 

Moreover, that to which benevolence prompts, the Lord, 
by his Apostle, enjoins ; for it is " ordained, that they which 
preach the gospel, should live of the gospel." This is the for- 
cible language of the Apostle, and those persons who deny 
the principle here inculcated, reject the express command 
of God. It is not simply with the Apostle they disagree. 
u Do ye not know," says Paul, " that they which minister 
about holy things live of the things of the temple ? and they 
which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar ? Even 
so hath the Lord ordained, that they which preach the gos- 
pel, should live of the gospel." It is true, Paul did not use 
this power which he had from the Lord, to exact his support 
from the Church, so far as he might have used it ; for he did 
not wish to appear to his missionary churches, which he 
had established, and which were yet weak in faith, to be 
"preaching for money." He says, " But I have used none 
of these things : neither have I written these things that it 
should be so done unto me ; for it were better for me to die, 
than that any man should make my glorying void." Yet, 
he plainly intimates, that charity and gratitude to God for 
the benefits which they, the hearers of the gospel, receive, 
should stimulate them to benevolence in this respect. " If 
we," says he, "have sown unto you spiritual things, is it 
a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things ?" He 
9* 



110 



DUTY TO THE PASTOR. 



does not press upon them to "freely give," any farther 
than they are convinced that it is their duty to give. 

With that noble generosity, which should characterize, to 
some extent, every true minister of Jesus Christ, Paul 
sacrificed honor and distinction among his countrymen, and 
perhaps wealth and affluence, and then preached the gospel 
without charge, in order to give it a start, often laboring 
with his own hands, in the capacity of a "tent-maker," to 
supply his temporal necessities. Notwithstanding all this, 
no one of "the twelve " is more full in giving directions 
with regard to " ministering to the saints," and urging them 
"to abound in grace." He urged the performance of this 
duty, upon the score of true Christian charity. He urged, 
that it should be performed from love to God and his cause; 
and not from respect merely to himself, as a man. He says 
of the churches of Macedonia, which, beyond their power, 
were willing of themselves to contribute, " And this they 
did, not as we hoped, but first gave themselves to the Lord, 
and unto us by the will of God." They were liberal from 
love to God, and to the people of God as such ; from love to 
the Church and the welfare of souls. And thus Paul di- 
rected them to act. "I speak," he says, " not by com- 
mandment, but by occasion of the forwardness of others, 
and to prove the sincerity of your love." 

The high claims of the glory of God, and not mere re- 
spect for man, are the true motives to Christian benevolence. 
Love, the all constraining love of Christ, should prompt to its 
exercise. " Good will, carried out in action, is lovely and 
respectable and virtuous, when done from sympathy and 
natural goodness of disposition. It is pious or religious, 
however, only when done from love to God." Love, spring- 
ing from a conviction of the obligations he is under, and not 
a slavish fear, accompanied with a reluctant obedience, 
should move the Christian to the performance of this duty 



DUTY TO THE PASTOR. 



Ill 



toward his pastor. There should be a willing mind first, 
and then the act. "Every man according as he purposeth 
in his heart, so let him give ; not grudingly, or of necessity; 
for God loveth a cheerful giver." The Christian should 
consider himself as a steward, and not as a lord of his pos- 
sessions, and should be willing to impart of his abundance, 
to his pastor, and to the poor of the congregation. He 
should be willing to share with others, and especially with 
the household of faith, according as God has given him in- 
crease. The church-member, as well as the minister, should 
consider himself, with all he has and is, as consecrated to 
God. He shouid be willing to be anything, to do anything, 
and to go any place, which God by his word and providence 
may indicate to him. How impressive are the words of the 
Saviour to a pious mind : " Freely ye have received, freely 
give." And how forcibly does the Apostle reiterate the 
" same mind which was also in Christ Jesus," when he says, 
" I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, 
that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, accepta- 
ble unto God, which is your reasonable service." 

These are some of the motives and principles, which should 
urge to liberality in supporting the gospel minister. They 
should do this, not because liberality, in this respect alone, 
constitutes Christianity ; but because it is one of the eviden- 
ces of religion in those who profess it. Thus Paul repre- 
sents it. He every where praises it. He holds it up as a 
sign of living Christian faith and active Christian love. 
" Moreover, brethren," he says, when he is about to enjoin 
liberality, and brings in this example, " we do you to wit 
of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedo- 
nia, how that, in a great trial of affliction, the abundance 
of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the rich- 
es of their liberality." Again : " For I know the forward- 
ness of your mind, for which I boast to you of them of 



112 



DUTY TO THE PASTOR. 



Macedonia, that Achia was ready a year ago ; and your zeal 
hath provoked very many." Prompted as they were, by a 
Christian benevolence of spirit, he considered it superfluous 
to write to them, " as touching the ministering to the saints." 
He knew their charity from their fruits. 

Yv r e make these observations, not because we believe any 
to whom they are addressed, deny their obligation to sup- 
port their pastor in form : but because we believe there is a 
negligence in the performance of this duty, and because we 
believe some deny the obligation in fact. And what we 
wish to make clear is, that those who do not let their light 
shine in this direction, show no signs of the Christian life— 
the life of faith. How can that man call himself a Christian, 
who does not love the Church, nor the Bible enouo-h, to in- 
duce him to contribute toward the support of the pastor, 
who has been especially set apart to explain and enforce the 
gospel ? How can he claim the appellation of a child of 
God, who does not love God so much as to support the 
cause of God with his substance, which God has given him ? 
" If any man seeth his brother have need,- and shutteth up 
his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of 
God in him?" There is a contradiction in such conduct, 
which cannot be explained away. 

The covetousness of the human heart is great, and let no 
one suppose, that he is free from the danger of it. It dwells 
in every human breast, and is the root of all evil ; u for 
the love of money," or that which money will procure, "is 
the root of all evil, which, while some have coveted after, 
they have erred from the faith." It is the selfish appropri- 
ation of the blessings, which God has given us, that leads 
to resistance to his commands. To such an extent is this 
sometimes the case, that some, rather than give of their " car- 
nal things " to the support of a minister of the gospel, will 
lose their souls — sell them for a few dollars and cents — and 



DUTY TO THE PASTOR. 



113 



deny themselves the privilege of using the means of grace. 
I have seen persons, apparently frightened away from the 
preaching of the gospel, by the mere mention of money. 
Even church-members, in some cases, rather than pay their 
pew rent, or salary to the pastor, will absent themselves 
from the house of worship. Dear reader, I hope and pray, 
that the grace of God will not suffer you to fall as low as 
this. I trust that you will be prompted, by your Christian 
vows, and your Christian love, to come up to the measure 
of your duty, and your ability, in aiding with your means 
and your prayers, him, who sustains to you the dearest and 
most intimate of all relations in the congregation, viz : that 
of a pastor. 

But I take it for granted, that you are sufficiently con- 
vinced of your obligations in the direction to which I have 
adverted. The natural inquiry which may next arise, is, 
How shall I best accomplish the will of God in respect to 
these obligations ? Without going into an extended discus- 
sion of systematic benevolence, I will merely suggest a plan, 
which seems to me to be both Scriptural and feasible. It 
is important that you should have some plan by which to 
regulate your contributions to benevolent objects in general, 
and that you should give to each object, in proportion as 
their merits demand. There should, however, not only be 
some plan or system adopted ; but it should also be consci- 
entiously and habitually carried out in practice ; otherwise 
very little will be accomplished by means of it. It should 
be made a part of our business to make provision for the 
discharge of this duty, just as it is made our business 44 to 
provide things honest in the sight of all men," or to dis- 
charge our civil obligations. If the performance of this 
duty is left to chance, it will be very imperfectly done, or 
perhaps not done at all. Habit and system are very useful 
to render the performance of duty both easy and pleasant, 
and, at the same time, certain. 



114 



DUTY TO THE PASTOR. 



The plan which I would suggest, is, that you should give 
a certain portion of your income, whatever that income may 
be. Whenever you receive a part of your yearly wages, if 
you be a laborer, — or your money for your produce, if you 
be a farmer, — or your profits, if you be a merchant, — or 
your rents, if you be a property holder, — lay aside a portion 
of it for benevolent purposes. Let this portion be as little, 
or as much as your conscience will allow it to be, say one 
tenth, which was the custom under the Jewish dispensation. 
Then divide this portion again, as you may see proper, say 
so much to your pastor, so much to seminaries and colleges, 
so much to missions, and so much to newspapers and peri- 
odicals, &c. The application of this plan may vary some- 
what, according to circumstances. If so situated, you can 
make your appropriation every week on the Lord's day, and 
thus give to it the more of a religious character, by accom- 
panying it with your prayers. 

The direction of the Apostle is as follows: " On the first 
day of the week, let every man lay by him in store, as the 
Lord hath prospered him, that there be no -gatherings when 
I come." The spirit of this injunction, at least, should be 
obeyed, by selecting stated times for laying aside what we 
can devote to charitable purposes, not allowing it to be used 
for any other purpose, and then giving only as we have, 
and feel able to give, when we may be called upon. The 
Apostle enjoins upon the disciples to contribute according 
to their increase, and according as the Lord has prospered 
them. If, however, we lay not by in store, and give no 
thought to the subject beforehand, we cannot obey this in- 
junction. If this conduct does not evidence a want of a 
willing mind, it at least shows a want of wisdom. It is a 
neglecting of the order, which wisdom dictates, and it ren- 
ders us unable to give according to our ability. " If there 
be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a 



DUTY TO THE PASTOR. 



115 



man hath, and not according to that he hath not." But 
though you have a willing mind, if you have no system of 
benevolence, you may squander that which you might other- 
wise appropriate. In making your appropriation to your 
pastor, it may be well to read the fourth chapter of Paul's 
Epistle to the Philippians, which contains an incomparably 
excellent exhortation to all goodness. It is, perhaps, the 
most pathetic and significant of all Paul's writings. In 
this, the concluding part of the Epistle, he pours out his 
whole heart in the most affectionate manner. 



A PRAYER FOR ONE WHO IS INFLUENCED BY THE CONSIDERATION 
OF HIS RELATION TO HTS PASTOR, AND TO THE PREACHING OF 
THE GOSPEL. 

Father of mercies, I humbly confess, that I am a sinner, and 
that the greatness of thy goodness should lead me to repentance 
for my sins. I beseech thee to remove the blindness of my mind 
and the hardness of my heart, that I may be enabled to behold the 
light of the glorious gospel. May the ingratitude, which I have 
hitherto manifested, be forgiven me, and may I, from this time 
forth, have a lively sense of my obligations, and an abiding con- 
viction, that it is my duty to live, not unto myself, but unto him 
who died for me and rose again. May the inestimable blessings 
of the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the 
life everlasting, produce in me a heartfelt gratitude, and may I 
show my gratitude for these blessings, by attending to a preached 
gospel, and honoring the ordinances of thy house, which are de- 
signed to convey these inestimable benefits to mankind ; and by 
leading a holy and blameless life in all godliness and honesty. 
May I prize more and more the gospel, as the power of God unto 
'salvation, and the pleaching of that gospel, as the means of bring- 
ing to my remembrance the things that belong to my peace. 



116 



DUTY TO TIIE PASTOR. 



And grant, Lord, tliat the sacred relation which I sustain to 
my pastor may not be broken, and its holy and blessed associations 
destroyed by any u root of bitterness but may I ever remain, 
by thy grace, in a position where I may avail myself of all its ben- 
efits and privileges. Forbid, Lord, that charity should be de- 
stroyed, and enmity exist, where love should be supreme. For- 
bid, that any sin or imperfection, in myself, or in my pastor, should 
prevent the cordial interchange of sympathy and prayer. But 
grant that mutual confidence and mutual efforts to promote the 
cause of our common Lord and Master, may ever characterize our 
intercourse and conduct. May he, who is placed over me as my 
spiritual shepherd, be made a blessing to me, by the spiritual truth, 
which shall come from his lips. Be mouth and wisdom to him, 
that he may rightly divide the word of truth and give to each his 
portion in due season. May he bring out of the treasury of thy 
word, things new and old, for the edification of the body of Christ. 
Be thou his strength and shield. Protect and support him in his 
arduous duties, and may he cry aloud and spare not. May he pro- 
claim thy truth without fear or favor, or expectation of reward 
from men. 

And may I, the recipient of so many favors, " esleem him very 
highly in love for his work's sake." May I ever be ready and 
willing to minister to his necessities, according as thou shalt pros- 
per me. May the love I bear toward thee constrain me to liber- 
ality toward thy servant. May not the " love of money" prevent 
me from performing my duty. May not the earthly stream of 
avarice prevail against the heavenly fountain of charity. But 
help thou me, Lord, to make a full surrender of myself to thy 
service. Neither may aught which I possess, be considered as my 
own, but as only lent by thee, to be used and appropriated as thou, 
in thy wisdom, shalt dictate. To thee, Lord, would I give my- 
self, with all I have, and all I am, to be used to thy glory. Amen. 

Our Father, &c. 



CHAPTER XIV. 



THE CHURCH-MEMBER IN THE CONGREGATION, CONTINUED : 
HIS DUTY TO PROMOTE CHURCH PSALMODY. 



Another duty devolving on the church-member, is that of 
contributing his aid to the promotion of congregational and 
choral, or choir singing. When we consider the excellence 
and importance of this part of divine service, it is evidently 
a cause of deep regret, that it is so much neglected. What 
is more edifying, than the voice of melody ascending in 
praise and thanksgiving to God ? Next to the preaching of 
the gospel, it is the most important means of building up 
the soul in faith, hope and love. The best sentiments of 
the pious mind are expressed in the psalms and hymns and 
spiritual songs of the Church. It is this, "which makes the 
Psalms of David such a rich source of consolation and 
strength to the Christian. They contain all the facts and 
doctrines of the Bible, expressed in poetic style, by striking 
comparisions and pathetic exclamations — by touches of 
thought which strike the heart, that deep fountain of feel- 
ing and reservoir of faith ; that centre of the soul where 
Christ works in us to will and to do of his good pleasure. 
It is not without good reason, that we frequently hear church- 
members say, " I would as leave hear a good hymn sung, 
as to hear a sermon." We can appeal to the church-mem- 
ber himself, whether church singing is not almost, if not en- 
tirely, equal in usefulness to the preaching of the word. 
We doubt not, that each one has experienced sufficient of 
the benefits of church-music, to appreciate its importance. 
10 



118 



CHUKCH PSALMODY. 



So essential is it, as we conceive, that, without good singing, 
the services of the sanctuary lose half their value. It is not 
in the nature of man, to be deprived of so useful a vehicle 
for conveying and receiving spiritual benefits, as is music, 
without great detriment to his spiritual welfare. 

As might be supposed and as was natural, from the time 
God's people were first associated in families and tribes — - 
from Miriam, and Moses, and David, down to the present time 
■ — religious singing received a large share of attention. 
Among the first instances of collective religious singing on 
record, is that of Moses and the Israelites, at the time when 
they had passed through the Red Sea, and safely encamped 
on the other side, having escaped from Pharaoh and his ar- 
my. See Exodus 15. " Then sang Moses and the children 
of Israel this song unto the Lord, and spake saying, I will 
sing unto the Lord ; for he hath triumphed gloriously : the 
horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. The Lord 
is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation," 
&c. " And Miriam, the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, 
took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women went out af- 
ter her with timbrels and with dances. And Miriam answer- 
ed them, Sing ye to the Lord ; for he hath triumphed glo- 
riously : the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the 
sea," &c. On this occasion, Moses and the children of 
Israel celebrated the signal deliverances, which God 
wrought in their behalf, and called up to their remembrance 
the long bondage to which they had been subjected, and 
how God, with a high hand and an outstretched arm, brought 
them out of Egypt and out of the house of bondage. Ever 
afterwards, this song of Moses was a favorite song with the 
Israelites. And who will say, that it did not keep in lively 
remembrance the events spoken of? 

This song, however, was not only intended to praise God 
for that temporal deliverance. It also had a more extended 



CHURCH PSALMODY. 



119 



significance. It was designed likewise to give thanks to 
God for spiritual deliverances through Jesus, the lamb slain 
from the foundation of the world. All these events were 
types of better things to come ; and all these deliverances 
were types of deliverance from sin. Thus, this song is 
spoken of in the fifteenth chapter of Revelations, where it is 
said to be used to express the victories which the saints ob- 
tain over the powers of darkness. Thus the song of Moses 
and the song of the Lamb become one song. In this view, 
the song of Moses becomes still more interesting ; for as 
deliverances from sin occur daily and repeatedly, the song 
of Moses and all the songs of Zion come to be invested with 
new interest and importance daily. It was with this view, 
in reference to spiritual blessings, no doubt, that all the pi- 
ous Israelites engaged in singing the praises of God. 

From this time onward the Israelites praised God in song 
in their assemblies ; and after the setting up of the taber- 
nacle in the wilderness, the tribe of Levi was set apart for 
this very service, as well as for assisting the priests in the 
sacrifices. The business of psalmody was thus scrupulous- 
ly attended to, while the Levites led the song. Psalmody 
was afterward greatly cultivated among the J ews, as an art 
and a science. Asaph and others composed psalms, and 
especially David, who, by way of distinction, was called 
"the sweet singer of Israel." The manner in which David 
appreciated church psalmody, may be seen in many of his 
psalms, and especially in the 122nd and 135th. " I was 
glad, when they said unto me ; Let us go into the house of 
the Lord. Our feet shall stand within thy gates, Jeru- 
salem," &c. "Praise the Lord; for the Lord is good; 
sing praises unto his name ; for it is pleasant," &c. Such 
were the sentiments of king David with regard to this part 
of divine service — a man who, for his pious disposition, as it 
seems, received the appellation of being a man after God's 



120 



CHURCH PSALMODY, 



own heart. Our hearts are drawn to him as a worthy ex- 
ample in the house of God. 

We remember a character in a certain congregation, who 
occupied the position of chorister or clerk. We knew him 
when his head was silvered with age, and by his sweet voice 
and his ardent and continued devotion in the congregation, 
he was endeared to us in a more than ordinary degree. 
When subsequently calamities came over this congregation, 
and the news reached his ear that it was dissolved by the 
action of Classis, he, as we were informed, wept tears of 
sorrow in view of the sad intelligence. How much endear- 
ed must David have been to those who heard his voice, and 
whose prayer ascended for the peace of Jerusalem, and who 
wept bitter tears when Absalom, his son, compelled him to 
leave the city ? 

The manner of conducting the singing in the temple ser- 
vice was such as was calculated for edification and comfort, 
It was in accordance with the laws of nature and of God. 
The nature of the human mind is such as to be pleased and 
edified with order and harmony. As has before been no- 
ticed, the Levites, by divine command, were set apart for 
this service. To them was committed the duty of leading 
in singing. At the sound of the silver trumpets, they, as 
well as the priests, were called to their stations. As the 
priests proceeded to the temple and the altar with the sac- 
rifice, the great bell was rung to warn the absent priests to 
come to worship, and the absent Levites to come to sing. 
At the conclusion of the sacrifice and other offerings, the 
Levites began the song of praise ; and, at every pause in 
the music, the trumpets sounded and the people worshipped, 
See Calmet's Dictionary of the Bible, 

There is no doubt, however, that the whole congregation 
engaged, to some extent, in singing, especially in shouting 
the chorus, whatever it may have been, during the intervals 



CHURCH PSALMODY. 



121 



Indicated by the word Selah. The 150th Psalm is proof, 
that the whole audience of the people sang praises to God, 
or at least, that they joined in the chorus of hosanna or 
hallelujah. In the last verse of this psalm, the Psalmist 
says : " Let everthing that hath bieath, praise the Lord," 
which is thus commented upon by Home : "The breath of 
natural life, which God hath breathed into our nostrils, and 
the breath of that new and eternal life, which he hath given 
us through Christ Jesus our Lord, should be returned in 
hallelujahs. And then the Church, composed of many dif- 
ferent members, all actuated, like the pipes of a well-tuned 
organ, by the same Spirit, and conspiring together in per- 
fect harmony, would become one great instrument, sounding 
forth the praises of God most high." 

There were singers, distinguished as such, composed of 
Levites. They are spoken of in the seventh chapter of Ne- 
hemiah, where the different classes of the Hebrews and their 
number, who returned from the captivity in Babylon, are 
specified. Among them were, " the singers ; the children 
of Asaph, a hundred forty and eight." But it seems, that 
these merely led the psalm, and that the whole congrega- 
tion were at liberty, and exhorted, to praise God in singing. 

None were restrained from contributing their aid in swell- 
ing the notes of praise to God in the assembly of the up- 
right. The language of the Psalms seems to imply this. 
David speaks of praising in the temple, and exhorts others 
to do the same. " Praise ye the Lord," he says. " I will 
praise the Lord with my whole heart, in the assembly of the 
upright, and in the congregation." Again, u I will declare 
thy name unto my brethren ; in the midst of the congrega- 
tion will I praise thee. Ye that fear the Lord, praise him; 
all ye seed of Jacob, glorify him. My praise shall be of 
thee, in the great congregation ; I will pay my vows before 
them that fear him." 
10* 



122 



CHURCH PSALMODY. 



It only remains for us to say, with respect to the manner 
of singing by the Jews, that it appears, during the intervak 
in the music, there was a shouting of the chorus or chorus- 
es. Perhaps there was a promiscuous exclamation of praise 
and adoration of some kind or other by the people, not ex- 
pressed, but merely intimated by the word Selah. When 
the singing ceased, the assembly shouted sometimes the 
Amen, and at other times, Hallelujah, together with other 
expressions, accompanied with interjections, expressive of 
their emotions ; and then bowed their heads in worship. 
Thus, in the 47th Psalm, which is supposed to have been 
first sung on the occasion, when the Ark of the covenant 
was carried up into the temple, after the word Selah, the 
following language occurs : " God is gone up with a shout, 
the Lord with the sound of a trumpet. Sing praises to 
God, sing praises : Sing praises unto our King, sing prais- 
es. For God is the King of all the earth : Sing ye praises 
with understanding." The singing of psalms by the Jews, 
appears to have been very hearty. It appears to have been 
full of that enthusiasm, which the pious mind feels, when 
worshipping God in spirit and in truth. Notwithstanding 
this, however, there was order and system in their singing. 

How well the Jews appreciated the privilege of worship- 
ping God in the temple, may be seen by the 137th Psalm, 
which was . composed in reference to the seventy years' cap- 
tivity. " By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down ; yea, 
we wept, when we remembered Zion," &c. So also, by the 
repentance of the remnant, after the restoration, as record- 
ed in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. 

Another proof, that the custom of singing obtained among 
the Jewish people generally, is the fact, that it was prac- 
ticed by Christ and his disciples in their assemblies. , After 
the celebration of the last supper, it is said, in Matthew 26: 
30, "And when they had sung an hymn, they went out 



CHURCH PSALMODY. 



123 



into the mount of Olives." Singing probably was practiced 
in the families, synagogues, and temple, by the mass of the 
people, from Moses and David to the time of our Saviour. 
This custom was not abrogated by our Saviour ; but, on the 
contrary, it was one of those things which he came to fulfill 
— to carry out more extensively ; for now each one was to 
be his own priest and Levite, to some extent, " to show forth 
the praises of him that called them to his kingdom and glo- 
ry. It was enjoined by the Apostle upon Christians, to 
edify each other with sacred music. He says : " Let the 
word of Christ dwell in you richly : in all wisdom teaching 
and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and 
spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the 
Lord." He also directs, that this part of divine worship 
should be conducted in systematic order, for the purpose of 
edification. (See 14th chapter 1st Corinthians.) After 
speaking of prophesying, which seems to include singing, 
as well as preaching, and also of speaking in an unknown 
tongue, he says, " I will pray with the spirit, and I will 
pray with the understanding also. I will sing with the 
spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also." 

From what can be gathered from the New Testament 
Scriptures, it appears that the primitive Christians, in their 
associated capacity, in their meetings for edification, paid 
strict attention to sacred music — animating each other with 
the voice of song, and making melody in their hearts to the 
Lord. How could it be otherwise, when they had such glo- 
rious themes as the glad tidings of salvation furnished them ? 
That Saviour who was introduced into the world with the 
song of angels, should he not be praised and supplicated by 
men, whom he came to redeem ? How could it be other- 
wise* when the evangelical prophet, Isaiah, who had so much 
to say and prophesy about the gospel times, wrote his proph- 
ecies in poetic style, and constantly affirmed, that these 



124 



CHURCH PSALMODY. 



days should be distinguished for sacred music ? Then shall 
" the tongue of the dumb sing," said he. "And the ran- 
somed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs 
and everlasting joy upon their heads; they shall obtain joy 
and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away." 
"In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah. 
We have a strong city ; salvation will God appoint for walls 
and bulwarks. " Behold the former things are come to 
pass, and new things do I declare : before they spring forth 
I tell you of them. Sing unto the Lord a new song, and 
his praise from the end of the earth." This is spoken in 
reference to the heathen, who should be called by the gos- 
pel, and sing praises to God. In reference to the good 
tidings of Christ's kingdom, he again says : " How beauti- 
ful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth 
good tidings, that publisheth peace : that bringeth good 
tidings of good, that publisheth salvation ; that saith iinto 
Zion, Thy God reigneth ! Thy watchmen shall lift up the 
voice ; with the voice together shall they sing. Break forth 
into joy ; sing together ye waste places of Jerusalem : for 
the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Je- 
rusalem. The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes 
of all nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the 
salvation of our God." 

m How could it be possible, that the Christian Church, in 
view of what the prophet describes her to be, should be si- 
lent in her assemblies, and neglect the injunction of the 
Apostle to " speak to herself in psalms and hymns and 
spiritual songs ; singing and making melody in her heart to 
the Lord ?" Such a state of the Church could only appear 
under some existing adverse circumstances, which should be 
deeply deplored, and should lead to earnest selfexamina- 
tion and reform. Such a state of the Church could not 
appear, except in connection with a spirit of luke-warmness, 



CHURCH PSALMODY. 



125 



and " a falling away." But the Church never entirely ne- 
glected sacred music. The promise of the Saviour, "Lo, 
I am with you alway, even to the end of the world," is a 
security against entire neglect ; for where Christ is present 
in majesty, grace and spirit, the heart will be prompted to 
sing and admonish in sacred songs. 

In the primitive Church, immediately succeeding the age 
of the Apostles, with all its trials and disadvantages, but 
with the plentiful supply of the spirit of Jesus Christ, and 
in the freshness of faith and first love, church singing was 
not neglected. Augusti, in his " Antiquities of the Chris- 
tian Church," translated by Coleman, has the following lan- 
guage : " The Psalms were a collection of sacred songs, and 
were used in their (the Jews) temple service, like our mod- 
ern collections of Psalms and Hymns. The use of sacred 
music in religious worship was derived from the Jews, and 
the Psalms of the sacred Scriptures were uniformly used by 
the primitive Christians, as songs to be sung. Some one 
or more led the singing, and the whole congregation united 
their voices in the chorus. Sometimes they constituted two 
divisions, and sung responses to each other, and at other 
times, it is probable, that all sung in unison. Their wor- 
ship was conducted by the reading of the Scriptures, and 
singing of the Psalms alternately. Certain Psalms were 
sung also on certain occasions prescribed by the bishops." 

Of the singers or Precentors, he says : " The appoint- 
ment of singers and choristers takes its origin from the 
importance in which the singing of the psalms and hymns 
was held, not only in the temple and synagogue service of 
the Jews, but in the apostolic and primitive churches. We 
have the fullest and most satisfactory evidence of the early 
and universal introduction of this part of religious worship 
into the Christian Church; Ephs. 5: 19, 20; Col. 3 : 16 ; 
and of the appointment of singers as a distinct class of 



126 



CHURCH PSALMODY. 



church officers. These went up into the singers seats and 
sung from a book. The object of this restriction was to 
correct abuses and suitably to regulate this part of worship. 
The subjects of their psalmody were submitted to the con- 
trol of the bishops or presbyters. But all that related to 
the performance of the music, as an art, was left to the 
singers." 

In a note, the translator says : " Bingham asserts, that, 
from the apostolic age, for several centuries, the whole body 
of the Church united in singing, and that these canonical 
singers were only a temporary provision to regulate and re- 
store the singing to some tolerable degree of harmony, and 
that it continued to be the usage of the Church, for the 
whole assembly to join in singing. For this opinion he 
quotes various authorities." 

Of the singers, Augusti further says : " Though they 
have not been classed with the priesthood, they have ever 
been held in great respect, as appears from the establish- 
ment of schools of sacred music, and from the peculiar at- 
tention which was paid to them ; especially to the instruc- 
tors of them. Such schools were established as early as the 
sixth century, and became common in various parts of Eu- 
rope, particularly in France and Germany. These schools 
were very much patronized by Gregory the Great, under 
whom they obtained great celebrity. From them originated 
the famous Gregorian Chant, a plain system of church mu- 
sic which the choir and the people sung in unison. The 
prior, or principal, of these schools, was a man of great con- 
sideration and influence." 

This historical sketch may serve to show, at least, that 
sacred music has received, as we before stated, a large share 
of attention from the people of God in all ages, and especially, 
during those periods, when the Church was most awake arid 
active and alive by the power of faith and a divine life. 



CHURCH PSALMODY. 



127 



True, some of the Reformers of the sixteenth century dis- 
pensed with Church music for a while, owing to its having 
been so much abused, by becoming formal and lifeless, be- 
ing composed only of organs and a little heartless chanting 
and singing by a few persons. But subsequently there was 
a true revival of this ancient and heaven favored custom of 
Church singing in the Reformed Church of Switzerland, as 
well as in that of the Palatinate of the Rhine, and of the 
Lutheran Church. It is when the Church is revived to a 
living and wakeful state, that the " songs of Zion " are the 
sweetest, and most hearty and soul-moving. Where church 
psalmody is cultivated and practiced in the worshipping con- 
gregation, it is a good indication that the life-giving pres- 
ence of the Saviour is realized. 

And now, we have simply to add, that it is the duty of 
each church-member to do his part in promoting the inter- 
ests of the congregation in this respect. And though we 
do not object to choral, or choir singing, it seems to us, that 
the congregation should join in the exercise. It certainly 
appears to be most consistent with the idea of a worshipping 
congregation, that all the members thereof— who possibly 
can— should help to sing the adoring and supplicating songs 
of Zion. 

It is expected that the minister will give all his time and 
attention to the work of the ministry — be instant in sea- 
son and out of season, in leading the devotions of the con- 
gregation in prayer, and in preaching. But is it not also 
the duty of the members of the congregation to do their 
part, according to the direction of the Apostle, by letting 
" the word of Christ dwell in them richly in all wisdom, 
teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns 
and spiritual songs, singing with grace in their hearts to the 
Lord?" Undoubtedly, the communion of saints requires 
that each one should use his gifts, not only for his own ben- 



128 



CHURCH PSALMODY. 



cfit, but to the advantage of other members. When we see 
a professor of religion, making no efforts to sing in the con- 
gregation, assembled for worship, we can attribute his si- 
lence to nothing else but mental or spiritual laziness. His 
mind is so occupied with worldly things during the week, 
that he has no heart to worship God on the Sabbath. He 
neglects to be " diligent in business, fervent in spirit, serv- 
ing the Lord:' He plunges into the business of the world, 
with a God-forgetfulness, that leaves him no time to think, 
that it is his business to praise and pray to God. This low 
state of piety, together with the very slight feeling of obli- 
gation, is what renders our Church singing so defective at 
the present day. 

It is really painful to see how this exercise is permitted 
to drag in many congregations. We sometimes censure 
Methodists and others, for their loud and fanatical singing; 
but I had much rather hear such singing than the feeble and 
lifeless singing just referred to. We sometimes object to 
the congregational singing of our European German breth- 
ren, because of its formality, as we suppose ; but do we mend 
the matter, by not singing at all ? For my part, I have 
never been more edified at any time, than by the soul-mov- 
ing music of a pious German congregation : and it is my 
opinion, that it would be well for some church-members to 
make a visit to some congregation, where congregational 
singing is practiced, in order that they might be stimulated 
to loosen their tongues, and try to sing. Surely if this mat- 
ter were viewed as it ought to be, we would all say with the 
Psalmist, " Let everything that hath breath praise the 
Lord." That is, Let every intelligent creature, which has 
a voice and can guide that voice at all, join in singing praise 
to Jehovah. 

To the reader, I would say, If you have that all-embra- 
ing love, which is the active principle of a life of faith, you 



CHURCH PSALMODY. 



129 



will deem it a privilege, as well as a duty, to engage in this 
delightful part of religious exercises. You may say, I can- 
not sing, I have no ability to sing. But this may be 
rather the languague of diffidence and modesty, than of 
fact. I know from experience, that very little ability may 
be so improved by practice, that it may contribute some- 
thing to swell the note of praise. Some persons will tell us, 
they cannot pray, and yet they can converse freely. It is 
a fact, that some, who have little or no talent for music, by 
dint of resolution and perseverance, come to be tolerable 
sino-ers, whilst others, who have much better talent than 
they, never sing at all. This goes to show clearly, that, 
where there is a willingness, almost any one can learn to 
sing, and where there is sincere piety, the utmost diffidence 
can be overcome. 

Jonathan Edwards remarks on this point, that, " as it is 
the command of God, that all should sing, so all should 
make conscience of learning to sing ; as it is a thing that 
cannot be decently performed at ail without learning. Those, 
therefore, (where there is no natural inability,) who neglect 
to learn to sing, live in sm, as they neglect what is neces- 
sary in order to their attending to one of the ordinances of 
God's worship." I would advise you, therefore, to seek to 
cultivate that state of mind, which will make the path of 
duty both plain and easy. For where there is no spiritual 
mind, the performance of Christian duty will be an up hill 
business entirely. Zion will not prosper, unless " the peo- 
ple have a mind to work," and this mind must be produced 
by a lively faith, and the blessing of God. " The prepara- 
tion of the heart and the answer of the tongue, in man, is 
from the Lord." You have, consequently, every induce- 
ment to urge you to the cultivation of holiness of heart- — 
to the cultivation of a state of mind alive to the honor and 
glory of God. As you value the prosperity of Zion, and 
11 



130 



CHURCH PSALMODY. 



the peace and comfort of your own soul, therefore, make it 
a matter of conscience, to cultivate the art and spirit of re- 
ligious psalmody. 



A PRAYER FOR ONE WHO DESIRES SPIRITUALITY OF MIND, AND 
DIVINE ASSISTANCE IN THE DISCHARGE OE HIS DUTY, IN RE- 
LATION TO CHURCH-PSALMODY. 

Almighty and ever blessed God, who art praised and worship- 
ped by the bright retinue of angels in heaven, who cry, " Holy, 
holy, holy, Lord G-od Omnipotent, which was, and is, and is to 
come I beseech thee to bless thy word to the sanctification of 
my mind. May the word of Christ dwell in me richly, in all wis- 
dom. May I live by faith of the Son of G-od, who loved me and 
gave himself for me. May Christ live in me, and may it be to 
me indeed to live, Christ, and to die, gain. May I be enabled to 
keep my conversation in heaven, from whence I look for the ap- 
pearing of the great God and my Saviour, Jesus Christ. May the 
aspirations for heaven and the glories to be revealed in the last 
time, keep my mind above the cares and affections of the world. 

Grant, Lord, that while I am a member of the Church mili- 
tant, I may be enabled, by thy divine assistance, to engage in thy 
worship in spirit and in truth. May I behold thy glory in the 
sanctuary, and may my mouth show forth thy praise. May my 
heart be inspired by thy good Spirit, and may my lips not refrain 
from engaging in thy praise. And may all, in every place, praise 
thee. May the voice of melody ascend from every hill-top and 
valley, where thou hast recorded thy name, in anthems of praise 
to thee. May thy name be praised "from the rising of the sun 
to the going down of the same." May the tabernacle of God be 
with men everywhere, and may he dwell with them and be their 
God and they be his people. May the beauty of the Lord their 
God be upon them; and may they be clothed with the garment 
of praise. May Zion look forth, " fair as the moon, clear as the 
sun, and terrible as an army with banners." And unto thee, 
the triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, shall be honor, praise, 
and dominion forever, Amen, 



CHAPTER XV. 



THE CHURCH-MEMBER IN THE CONGREGATION, CONTINUED : 
ATTENDANCE ON PUBLIC WORSHIP URGED. 



In a previous chapter, we have said something about attend- 
ance on public worship. We shall here add some more partic- 
ular directions. 

It is presumed, that you feel it to be your duty, in a gen- 
eral way at least, to attend the meetings of the congrega- 
tion for worship ; and if you are in possession of that chari- 
ty, of which we have spoken, you will also esteem it a priv- 
ilege to do so. Still, there will be a disposition at times in 
you to make excuses, and excuses are very easily made, 
when there is a desire to be excused. Were it not for this 
disposition in many, to avail themselves of . the privilege of 
absenting themselves from the house of Gocl for slight rea- 
sons, it would be unnecessary to say anything on this point. 
The thin congregations, however, which sometimes are to 
be seen, sufficiently show the necessity of urging the impor- 
tance of regular attendance. 

" The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak," is 
a remark that is only too true in reference to many, who 
would make it an excuse for all delinquencies. One fruit- 
ful cause of this slothfulness of spirit, is, the unceasing en- 
gagement in worldly pursuits. Those who work from morn- 
ing until night at their secular vocation, without taking their 
Bible or any other book in their hand, wherewith to fill 
their mind and awaken their spirit, will be very apt to ex- 
cuse themselves for non-attendance at public worship. It is 



132 



ATTENDANCE ON PUBLIC WORSHIP. 



right and proper, that we should be industrious in our world- 
ly business ; but it is wrong to give ourselves too exclusive- 
ly to these matters, and thereby dampen our zeal and love 
for spiritual things. Industry in temporal things is a beau- 
tiful trait of character wherever it is found ; and when it is 
accompanied with piety, it is still more lovely. If kept in 
subordination to spiritual interests, it will lead to a greater 
appreciation of religious blessings, and a more earnest mind 
in the performance of religious duties. The mind will spring 
forward with greater vigor, provided there is sufficient time 
taken for reflection and prayer. 

A moderate industry, moreover, will accomplish more in 
the end, than that overwrought laboring which leaves no 
time for relaxation of the body, or the cultivation of the 
mind and the heart. "He that hasteth to be rich, hath an 
evil eye, and considereth not that poverty shall come upon 
him." "Be ye temperate in all things." Let not your 
mind be so occupied with the things of this world, that you 
can have no time nor heart to seek the things that are above, 
and to lay up treasures in heaven. The enjoyments of 
heaven will not be those of an idle, nor of a worldly mind. 
But a pleasing variety of praise, of contemplation, and of 
active pursuits in acquiring knowledge and doing good in 
some way or other, will probably engage the time and at- 
tention of the inhabitants of heaven. The cultivation of 
heavenly-mindedness can only be effected by the preaching 
of the gospel and the use of the sacraments, accompanied 
with meditation, thoughtfulness and prayer. But if the 
body is wearied by excessive labor, there will be no oppor- 
tunity to effect this desirable end. 

The excuse has been made by some, for not attending 
public worship on the Sabbath, (though we cannot conceive 
that it would be made by a truly pious mind,) that they can 
read the Bible at home; and as to the preaching of the gos- 



ATTENDANCE ON PUBLIC WORSHIP. 



133 



pel, they will say, " We understand that already as well, 
perhaps, as the minister, and therefore, he cannot teach us 
anything, We know it all." But those who make this ob- 
jection, forget that there is something peculiar in the preach- 
ing of the gospel. They forget, that the object of the gos- 
pel is twofold, viz : to bring to remembrance doctrines and 
duties, as well as to teach such as are not understood or 
known. Hence, the apostle Peter says: "Wherefore, I 
will not be negligent to put you in remembrance of these 
things, though ye already know them, and be established in 
the present truth." Again, " I will put you in remembrance, 
though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved 
the people out of the land of Egypt, afterwards destroyed 
them that believed not." And Paul to Timothy says : "If 
thou put them in remembrance of these things, thou shalt 
be a good minister of Jesus Christ." Moreover, in the 
preaching of the gospel, there is a certain divine force which 
is calculated of itself to draw men to Christ. An influence 
of the Spirit is exerted, and impressions are made on those 
who hear, which will follow them, and be felt and remem- 
bered in the field, in the shop, in the counting-house, and in 
the silent meditations of the closet. The excuse, therefore, 
that it is not necessary to attend preaching is not valid. 
If you be a church-member, you should not think of making 
any such excuse, and if you love the Lord Jesus Christ in 
sincerity — if you have a relish for the institutions and bles- 
sings of religion, you will not do so. 

Another motive for punctuality in attending the services 
of the sanctuary, is the divine will. It is the command and 
will of God, that we should observe the Sabbath, by attend- 
ing to the established religious exercises. It is the benefits 
which God bestows, in connection with the means of grace, 
that render the Sabbath peculiarly hallowed. You should 
make it a matter of conscience to attend public worship. 
11* 



134 



ATTENDANCE ON PUBLIC WORSHIP. 



You should ask yourself, "Do Hove the Lord Jesus Christ, 
and shall I not obey him ? Do I respect him, and shall I not 
meet him in the sanctuary, according to the engagements I 
have made with him ?" Unless you feel in this manner, 
you will find a great many trifling excuses will be sufficient 
to keep you away from the meetings of God's people for 
worship. If you do not make it a conscientious matter to 
attend a regular ministry, you will probably enjoy yourself 
somewhere else better, than in the house of God ; and you 
will, consequently, be in great danger of making shipwreck 
of faith and of a good conscience. 

Though at times you may not enjoy the services of reli- 
gious worship and the preaching of the word, or at most, 
very little, yet you will realize a benefit afterwards ; you 
will have peace and comfort ; your conscience will not con- 
demn you, and when you return to your home, you will 
have a more lively remembrance of the " blessing of God, 
which maketh rich and acldethno sorrow therewith." This 
is the experience of many, who have gone to the house of 
God with prayerful and earnest hearts. They have done 
their duty, and God has blessed them in the way of duty. 
" The way of duty is the only way of safety," and though 
it may be a cross instead of an enjoyment at the time, yet 
afterward it will bring joy and peace. The very act of at- 
tending upon the preaching of the gospel will of itself make 
an impression of a good kind on the pious mind. And 
though he may not understand the language of the speaker, 
yet his very manner and voice will suggest thoughts to him 
of a profitable kind. Thus the Psalmist, when meditating, 
said, " In the multitude of my thoughts within me, thy 
comforts delight my soul." He that would enjoy a con- 
science void of offence toward God, and have much peace in 
his soul, must attend punctually on the ministrations of the 
sanctuary. 



ATTENDANCE ON PUBLIC WORSHIP. 



135 



It is a lamentable fact, that those, whom we ought to see 
in the house of God on the Sabbath, are often absent ; ab- 
sent on that glorious day— the very thoughts of which should 
inspire them with reverence and awe— should urge them as 
with an irresistible impulse to do that which is well-pleasing 
in the Lord's sight. God requires them to be present in 
the sanctuary, when there is no lawful hindrance. It is not 
a matter of indifference with him, whether they attend as 
far as possible, the public worship of the sanctuary or not. 
He is well pleased, when he sees those who bear his name, 
respect him, and evidence their respect by attending regu- 
larly and punctually on the means of grace which he is willing 
and anxious to bestow. God is well pleased with that self- 
denying benevolence, which leads us to " give our goods to 
feed the poor," and " to minister to the necessity of the 
saints." He is well pleased with that pure and undefiled 
religion, which prompts us "to visit the fatherless and wid- 
ows in their afflictions," and to aid and assist them ; but he 
is also well pleased when we " keep ourselves unspotted from 
the world,"— well pleased with that Christian morality, 
which distinguishes us from the world, and is seen in our obe- 
dience to his commands ; in our observance of religious du- 
ties, and in the Christian graces, which Gocl bestows by the 
use of the means of grace. 

The Lord, by the prophet Isaiah, says : " If thou draw 
out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul ; 
then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be 
as the noonday ;" and also, "If thou turn away thy foot 
from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; 
and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord honor- 
able ; and shalt honor him, not doing thy own ways, nor 
finding thy own pleasure, nor speaking thy own words ; then 
- shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord ;— and I will feed thee 
with the heritage of Jacob thy father ; for the mouth of the 



136 



ATTENDANCE ON PUBLIC WORSHIP. 



Lord hath spoken it." What then must be the character 
of those who make light of the Sabbath and its accompany- 
ing duties ? Surely they cannot claim to be good Christians, 
in this respect. Surely it is to be regretted, that some, who 
have been good Christians in some respects, should disre- 
gard the sanctity of the Sabbath ; for nothing is more cer- 
tain, than that piety will die out, where the Sabbath is ne- 
glected. If those, who absent themselves from the church 
on the Sabbath, had proper views and a living faith, they 
would embrace every opportunity to attend ; they would 
then say, with the Psalmist, <■ I was glad, when they said, 
unto me : Let us go into the house of the Lord." If they 
really desired the help of God, to enable them to live a 
Christian life, they would seek that help in worship ; for 
God " sends help from the sanctuary." 

" I will lift up my eyes to the hills, from whence cometh 
my help," was the language of those who believed in very 
deed, that God was in his earthly temple to bless those who 
come to render him thanks, and to receive his blessing. 
how little respect do they show for the Lord of hosts* who 
stay away when his people meet for worship ! A friend, 
(Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon' 
lest the uncircumcised— the enemies of God, rejoice !)— A 
friend comes to see them on Sabbath morning. They do 
not want to go away and leave him. That would be show- 
ing him too much disrespect. But the Lord is in his holy 
temple, and they are not present, though they have made 
engagements to meet him there. And thus, they do not 
scruple to show him that disrespect which they would not 
think of showing to their visiting neighbor. They virtually 
place the Lord on a level with their neighbor. 

Perhaps they do not mean any disrespect. At least, they 
do not think it any disrespect to stay away from the place 
of worship, for such a cause. Visitors come seldom, and 



ATTENDANCE ON PUBLIC WORSHIP. 



137 



the Sabbath comes often. Shocking ! By such false rea- 
soning, they connive at Sabbath breaking, and assist in 
doing it, and still call themselves Christians ! Should they 
not rather eagerly embrace such an opportunity to vindicate 
the honor of their Lord, and politely invite their friend to 
accompany them to the place of worship, and thereby set a 
good example, whilst, at the same time, they would show no 
real disrepect to their friend ? Such persons, however, are 
careless. They do not think much about what they are 
doing. They follow the habits and customs of the world, 
and let godliness and Christianity aside. Christ, stand 
thou there whilst we attend to these friends, is about the 
language of their minds, if not of their lips. Their duty 
would certainly be evident to themselves, if they would but 
reflect and believe. " Remember the Sabbath day to keep 
it holy," is one of the ten commandments. Was not this 
day set apart in order to be devoted as much as possible 
to religious purposes ? And is not, in the nature of the 
case, the duty of attending public worship included in this 
command ? 

But the real, true, last and principal cause of the absence 
of a proper appreciation of the services of the sanctuary, is, 
that those in whom it is found to exist, look upon the church 
as merely an assembly of men,— of human beings like them- 
selves, worthy of no more respect than any other human 
beings ; and on the minister as a mere man, worthy of no 
more respect than other men. Hence, when they go to 
church, they go on man's account. They do it as unto men, 
and not unto the Lord. Jso wonder, therefore, that the 
matter, as well as the manner of the minister, should fail to 
draw them to the sanctuary; and that their neighbor's com- 
pany should be more acceptable than the ordinances of God's 
house. It cannot be otherwise, whilst they entertain such 
views as these. When the truth, which the preacher de- 



138 



ATTENDANCE ON PUBLIC WORSHIP. 



dares, and the Lord, whose messenger he is, are left out of 
the account, it is easy to perceive what the result will be. 
If there is no regard for God, there will be no relish for his 
truth. 

Let me advise the church-member, who may occasionally, 
and, to some extent, ignorantly, be guilty of the sin of dis- 
regarding the Lord, in the manner pointed out, to lay to heart 
the facts here presented. Let him show respect for the 
Lord, and let him respect the Lord's ministers and the 
Lord's people, for the Lord's sake, and his example will not 
be without its good effects. Let him cause his light thus to 
shine before men, that they may see his good works and 
glorify his Father who is in heaven. Let him not — if he 
has any of that charity which is the bond of perfectness— 
feel as if the bonds that bind him to the sanctuary are 
slight. 

The services of the church on extraordinary occasions, 
are generally well attended; but these are of no permanent 
value, unless the ordinary services are also properly waited 
upon and appreciated. It is the ordinary rain which mois- 
tens and fructifies the earth, as well as the storm and thun- 
der-shower. So, in like manner, it is the ordinary grace, 
in connection with the ordinary means, which enlivens and 
fructifies the garden of the Lord ; as well as the extraordi- 
nary and powerful awakening on extraordinary occasions, 
and in connection with extraordinary means. The extra- 
ordinary should grow forth from the ordinary, and be con- 
nected with it : and so it does and is, when the Church is in 
a proper state. It is when the members of the Church pray 
m their closets, and in their prayer-meeting, if they have 
one, in earnest wrestling prayer, that extraordinary ef- 
fects are produced by the ordinary as well as extraordinary 
means. 

Prayer is an ordinary means of securing the favor of 



ATTENDANCE ON PUBLIC WOESHIP. 



139 



heaven and the blessing of God. It never can be dispensed 
with. In times of defection and deadness in the Church, 
God reserves his praying Elijahs, whose decision and firm- 
ness vindicate the honor of the Lord, and whose prayers 
preserve the Church and bring about a revival of faith and 
love. Prayer is the first and last exercise of a renewed soul 
in the conflict of faith. 

< 6 Prayer is the contrite sinner's voice, 
Keturning from his ways, 
•jc- * * 

Prayer is the Christian's vital breath, 

The Christian's native air, 
His watchword at the gate of death, 

He enters heaven with prayer." 

Social prayer has its advantages, both by way of quick- 
ening the faith of those who may engage in it, and of mov- 
ing the hand of Jehovah to bestow his blessing. Prayer- 
meetings should, therefore, be established, and attended by 
the members of the Church. It is not necessary to show, 
that prayer-meetings are of divine appointment. It is suffi- 
cient to know, that the Church has always had prayer- 
meetings of some kind or other, and that they are perfectly 
in harmony with the nature and spirit of Christianity. It 
was in accordance with the nature of religion and the ne- 
cessities of the case, that the disciples of our Lord, after 
his ascension to heaven, were prompted to associate " in 
prayer and supplication " before the day of Pentecost, and 
afterward to " continue in breaking of bread and in prayer." 
And it is presumed, that all should be convinced by their 
example, of the use and importance of social prayer, or 
prayer-meetings. It is not required, that we should pray 
with a fanatical spirit, or get into the habit of making as 
' much noise as possible ; neither is it expected, that we should 
be lukewarm, uninterested and doubting in our prayers, 



140 



ATTENDANCE OX PUBLIC WORSHIP. 



The rules of the Apostle as given in 1 Cor. 14, and Col. 
2, should be studied. 

The primitive Church continued to have meetings for 
prayer and edification. When Peter was cast into prison, 
prayer was made without ceasing of the Church for him ; 
and Paul frequently asks his church-members to pray for 
him, as well as gives directions how to conduct their meet- 
ings. " The primitive Christians in all their assemblies, 
sought to excite and quicken their devotional sentiments by 
singing and prayer;" "Teaching and admonishing one 
another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing 
with grace in their hearts to the Lord." It seems to be 
in reference to meetings of this kind, that Paul, in Heb. 
10, after speaking of Christ as the sacrifice for sin, and of 
" our having boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood 
of Jesus, by a new way," says: "And let us consider 
one another to provoke unto love and good works, not 
forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the man- 
ner of some is : but exhorting one another." Those, who 
attend the meetings of the church punctually and continu- 
ing, can take encouragement from these words of Paul ; and 
as I am addressing the church-member, permit me to urge 
the exhortation of the Apostle, "'not to forsake the assemb- 
ling of yourselves together." 

You may object, that you cannot take part in the pray- 
ers ; but it is sufficient to reply, that all are not required to 
lead, and you can take part in spirit, if you cannot in out- 
ward expression. You can take part in singing ; and many 
of the hymns are supplicating hymns, and hymns of praise. 
You can, therefore, waft your supplications to heaven in the 
voice of melody. Thus the primitive Christians did. " The 
psalms and hymns, of which mention is made in the ancient 
Church, are evidently none else than prayers mingled with 
ascriptions of praise to God for his goodness, designed to 



ATTENDANCE ON PUBLIC WORSHIP. 



141 



promote and express becoming sentiments of piety. Their 
songs were but joyful prayers, and as such were transferred 
into the church from the synagogue and temple worship of 
the Jews." Even the Lord's prayer, and some portions of 
the New Testament, and the Apostles' creed, and other 
similar productions, were sung or chanted. 

You can find no excuse, in the nature of the meeting, for 
not being present. Even your presence alone will be bene- 
ficial to yourself and to others. It is the individual, who is 
constantly and punctually in his place, that is the shining 
light in the Church. It is to him that its members look and 
are encouraged to go on in the path of duty. It is in him, 
that they see love to God and his Church, and by the love- 
liness and stability of his piety, they are enabled to thank 
God for his mercy. If you will but punctually and consci- 
entiously attend to these duties and means of grace, and 
thereby become zealous of good works — zealous for the hon- 
or and glory of God, you will be enabled to stand in the 
evil clay, the day of trial and temptation, and to come forth 
as gold tried in the fire ; for you will have your days of 
fierce trial and conflict with Satan and your own evil heart. 



A TRAYER FOR A CHURCH-MEMBER, IN REFERENCE TO ATTEN- 
DANCE ON PUBLIC WORSHIP. 

Lord, I beseech thee to imbue my mind with zeal for the honor 
of thy holy name. Destroy that selfish propensity, which would 
lead me to misappropriate my time and energies. May the bene- 
fits of thy glorious grace, and the honor of thy name ever be more 
dear to me than either clothing, food and all earthly blessings, or 
the praise and good will of erring men. ! forbid, that unbelief 
should hinder my faithful attendance on the means of grace ) and 
grant, dear Lord, that the causes of unbelief, — those sins which 
leave a lethargy upon the soul, — may be removed. 
12 



142 



ATTENDANCE ON PUBLIC WORSHIP. 



Whatever may be the perplexities, which may be brought upon 
me, may I never forget to seek thy favor and help ; for vain is the 
help of man. May I not fly to other and unlawful sources for 
peace of mind, when thou hast opened a fountain in the house of 
David for sin and uncleanness. Preserve me, Lord ! from in- 
difference, and may the interests of thy cause and kingdom ever 
lis near my heart. May I always seek first the kingdom of God 
and his righteousness, that I may repair with a joyful heart to the 
sanctuary on the Sabbath day. And may faith be mixed with 
what I hear, that I may be filled with the fulness of God, and 
fully prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of 
God. 

May the hours of worship upon the Sabbath, and the hours of 
silent meditation, afford a taste of heavenly joys. And when I 
have done all that, by thy grace and assistance, I may be enabled 
to do, may I confess, that I am an unprofitable servant. I have 
done that which it w T as my duty to do, and no more, whilst I have 
not been able to render any satisfaction for the long list of sins of 
omission and commission, and for the pardon of which I can look 
only to Jesus, who is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and 
the end, the first and the last ; the all in all to me. 

May this mind be in me, whilst I am a membar of the Church 
militant. And may I persevere in every good word and work, 
growing in every Christian grace, and adorning the doctrine of 
God my Saviour. And when I shall be removed by the hand of 
death from this to another sphere of existence, may I enter the 
Church triumphant through him that bought me with his blood ; 
and to thee shall be rendered praises everlasting. Amen. 



CHAPTER XVI. 



THE USE AND IMPORTANCE OF SABBATH SCHOOLS, AND THE 
DUTY OF THE CHURCH-MEMBER IN REGARD TO THEM. 



Sabbath Schools, in their present form, are of but compar- 
atively recent date, having originated within the last cen- 
tury; but the principle of the Sabbath school and the object 
to be attained by means of it, are not new. It is designed 
to assist the pastor and the parent, in the religious teaching 
of the children under their care. Under the Jewish dispen- 
sation—endeared to us by the recollection of its being the 
preparatory school for the Christian dispensation, and by 
the recollection of God's using it for the instruction and 
guidance of his clear people, through the twilight of igno- 
rance, into the knowledge of himself— parents were required 
to speak to their children of the history of the Church, of 
the law, and the ceremonies of worship, which the scribes 
were to explain more fully in the synagogue. 

Under the Christian dispensation, parents are required 
to instruct, advise, and command their children after them, 
whilst children are enjoined to obey their parents in the 
Lord. Pastors are required to teach all nations, giving can- 
didates for church-membership that immediate instruction 
and guidance, which are necessary to discipleship. " Go 
ye, therefore, and teach, (that is, disciple) all nations, bap- 
tizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and 
of the Holy Ghost," implies the instruction of the young, 
and the use of the best means to bring them to understand 
their relation to the Church and to God. In the primitive 



144 



SABBATH SCHOOLS 



Church, the obligation to this duty was felt, and every ef- 
fort was made to pre-occupy the minds of the young with 
God and heaven, and to teach them that they belong to God, 
and that to consecrate themselves to him, was the best thing 
they could do. Out of this important duty grew the cus- 
tom of catechetical instruction in the primitive Church ; for 
it was felt, that, if the Church would contend earnestly for 
the faith once delivered to the saints, the membership must 
be well instructed in the spirit and history of the Christian 
faith. 

During the Reformation times, the religious education of 
the young, was attended to much in the same manner : only 
in addition to family instruction and pastoral catechization, 
parochial schools were instituted. These schools have been 
much of the glory of the Church ever since. In them was 
fostered that spirit of religious inquiry and literary investi- 
gation, which has made Protestant nations the leading pow- 
ers in the history of the world. In them was laid the foun- 
dation of that religious knowledge, which has shaped the 
course of many pious minds, and guided them through this 
world, and determined their charaeter and position in the 
world to come. 

But it remained for more recent times to call forth the 
Sabbath school in its present form. Mr. Raikes, a pious 
gentleman of England, seeing many of the children of the 
poor breaking the Sabbath, and growing up without religious 
instruction, conceived the plan of collecting them together 
on the Sabbath, and teaching them the principles and facts 
of Christianity. And so well did the plan succeed, that 
Sabbath schools have become a common means of religious 
training in all Protestant communities. Many, who are 
now living, .as well as many who have gone to their reward, 
can date some of their first and most happy religious im- 
pressions, from the time they attended on the Sabbath 
school- 



SABBATH SCHOOLS. 



145 



These schools have been of incalculably great advantage 
to the rising generation, in time past, and they are, no doubt, 
destined to be of still more advantage to them, in time to 
come. The improvements which may be made in them, and 
the zeal and faith with which they may be conducted, will 
make them a successful means for the conversion and sanc- 
tification of the young, beyond anything that has yet been 
conceived. They are not intended, however, to be a sub- 
stitute for parental instruction and pastoral care ; but are 
designed to be an auxiliary to aid the parent and pastor in 
the discharge of their duty to lead the young mind into the 
knowledge of the truth. Neither are they intended to be a 
substitute for parochial schools. Parochial schools may 
accomplish a religious education to some extent ; but Sab- 
bath schools afford additional and greater facilities for in- 
struction of a strictly religious kind. The propriety, use, 
and importance of Sabbath schools will not be questioned, 
when properly considered. They are in strict harmony with 
the design of the gospel, and are a most valuable medium 
for the accomplishment of one of the objects of the gospel, 
namely, the teaching of the truth as it is in Jesus. 

Such being the nature and design of Sabbath schools, the 
duty of the church-member with regard to them is plain. It 
is his duty to do all in his power to promote the prosperity 
of the school connected with his congregation. Permit me 
to say a few words to you, who are a young member of the 
Church. It is presumed, that you have fully consecrated 
yourself to the Lord, and that you feel like saying, " Though 
there should be no other Christian in the world, yet would 
I be one ;" and with Joshua, " Let others do as they may, 
as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." If you 
have that love to God, and the souls of your fellow mortals, 
which is a characteristic of every true child of God, you will 
desire to make yourself useful in every way possible. Here 
12* 



146 



SABBATH SCHOOLS. 



then, in the Sabbath school, you can accomplish the desire 
of your heart, either by becoming a teacher or a scholar ; 
and by your deportment and Christian spirit, you may be- 
come the medium of receiving, and conferring spiritual 
blessings. It will require some self-denial on your part to 
perform the labor of a teacher ; for it will be a tax on your 
time and bodily ease, and often your labor may seem to be 
in vain. But no one knows how much good he is doing in 
any sphere. If he only labor in faith, he will receive his 
reward. God will bestow his blessing, perhaps, when you 
are dead and gone ; only, therefore, sow your seed. In 
the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not 
thy hand : for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either 
this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good." " Be 
not weary in well doing ; for, in due season, you shall reap, 
if you faint not," 



A PRAYER FOR SABBATH SCHOOLS, AND FOR DITINE AID TO LA- 
BOR IN THEM. 

All-wise and glorious Jehovah, who dost often choose the fool- 
ish things of the world to confound the wise, and the weak things 
of the world to confound the things that are mighty, may thy 
blessing be richly bestowed upon the feeble institutions of religious 
education — the Sabbath schools, and make them a powerful means 
of pulling down the strong-holds of sin. May thy word be so used 
in them, that it may eminently serve to dissipate the darkness of 
ignorance, and introduce the rising generation into the light and 
liberty of thy children. May thy sun of righteousness arise upon 
them with healing in his beams, so that whilst a Paul plants and 
an Apollos waters, the increase may be abundantly bestowed. 
May the plants of thy moral vineyard be directed by these obscure 
and simple means, to Christ, who is the way, the truth and the 
life, and become engrafted into him really and truly, so that they 



SABBATH SCHOOLS. 



147 



may eventually be transplanted to the paradise above, where they 
shall bloom with everlasting youth. 

And, Lord ! grant me thy aid to labor in this highly favored, 
though simple and unpretending institution, the Sabbath school. 
Grant me zeal and faith to sow the seed of thy word, in order that 
I may labor, with the feelings of one, who desires to pluck immor- 
tal souls as brands from the burning ; with the assurance that thou 
wilt employ these means to promote thy glory. Thou hast given 
assurance, that thy word shall not return unto thee void, but that 
it shall accomplish that which thou pleasest, and prosper in the 
thing whereunto thou hast sent it. With this assurance, therefore, 
may I labor in the simplicity of faith and love, and not be weary 
in well doing, nor despise the day of small things. 

These petitions I present, thou glorious Jehovah, in the name 
of Jesus my Mediator and Redeemer, to whom, with thee, the 
Father and the Holy Spirit, be praises everlasting. Amen, 



CHAPTER XVII. 



THE CHURCH-MEMBER IN THE CONGREGATION, CONTINUED : 
HIS RELATION TO HIS FELLOW MEMBERS. 

When you are introduced into the Church in full connec- 
tion, you sustain to your brethren a relation of the most 
holy and interesting kind. You have so many interests and 
objects in common with them, that the relation is rendered 
very endearing to you. You have, therefore, many reasons 
to love them. " A new commandment," says the Saviour, 
" I give unto you, That ye love one another ;" a command- 
ment that may well be borne in mind at this day, when the 
love of many waxes cold ; when, for some trifling cause, the 
bond of love is broken, and strife exists, where the injunc- 
tion of the Apostle, " Be of one mind, live in peace : and 
the God of love and peace shall be with you," should be re- 
alized. 

1. You have reason to love your brethren, because you 
are partakers with them of the same spiritual life. Men 
love their countrymen, because they are partakers with them 
of a common national life. They have been brought up 
under the same political institutions and social customs, 
which have given their life that form which distinguishes 
them from other nations, and consequently they are attach- 
ed to these institutions, and to those who are the bearers of 
them, and who are brought up and live under the customs 
and usages and institutions of their native land. This truth 
is practically realized in an especial manner, when they 
meet each other in a foreign land. Let citizens of the 



DUTY TO OUR FELLOW MEMBERS. 



149 



United States meet in a distant territory, and among a 
strange people; and though they may have been indifferent 
to each other at home, and perhaps personally, strangers, 
yet the fact of their being fellow countrymen will bind them 
together in the strongest attachment. Let their eye meet 
the flag of their country waving in the breeze, and how ar- 
dent will be the affection for their country and its people. 
How endearing the words of the poet : 

" The star spangled banner, long may it -wave, 

O'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave." 

In like manner, there is an attachment to our neighbor- 
hood and our immediate neighbors. Reared under the same 
social customs, and in the same vicinity, and in connection 
with the same current events, our life has received that impress 
and form, which endears to us our neighborhood and all con- 
nected with it. Thus also, is there an attachment to our 
family kindred ; only the latter is much stronger than either 
of the former. The members of the same family are not 
only reared under the same influences ; but the same blood 
also courses through their veins ; the same immediate physi- 
cal life pervades their bodies. They are endeared to each 
other by family ties ; they are brethren, and love each other 
as such. 

Equally real and living are the ties, which subsist between 
Christian brethren ; and much higher and holier is their rela- 
tionship. They are related, not by physical, but by spiritu- 
al descent. They are " born, not of blood, nor of the will 
of the flesh, nor of the will of man ;. but of God." They have 
the same parentage. They are one with the Father, with 
Jesus, and with one another; and for the realization of this 
oneness, Jesus prays in one of his last prayers, saying, " That 
they all may be one, as thou, Father, art in me, and I in 
thee, that they also may be one in us." Christ is the second 
Adam. He is the father of a new spiritual race. Among 



150 



DUTY TO OUR FELLOW MEMBERS, 



all the relations under which Jesus is represented, as broth- 
er, friend, and husband, that of father, or the author of our 
spiritual life, is the most comprehensive and real. It in- 
cludes in it all that is expressed by the other titles given to 
him. He is indeed " The mighty Grod, The everlasting Fath- 
er, The Prince of Peace." Christ is the second Adam. " The 
first man Adam was made a living soul ; the last man Adam was 
made a quickening spirit." Jesus is our spiritual father — 
the father of us all ; as the Church is the mother of us all. 
The life which dwells in Christ's glorified body in heaven, 
transcends the limits of space, and is communicated to us 
through the means of grace in the Church. 

There are many figures by which this life-relation is ex- 
pressed, such as the head and members, the vine and its 
branches, &c, all of which show the reality of the mystical 
union, whilst its full nature is incomprehensible to our lim- 
ited understandings. But the dearness of this union is the 
cause of the strongest attachment between the members of 
Christ's mystical body. They have the high and holy 
reason to love one another, that they are in common par- 
takers of the divine nature — partakers of the life, the rich- 
es and gifts of Jesus Chaist. Yvith the same love where- 
with they love Jesus, they love one another ; for " he that 
loveth him that begat, loveth them that are begotten of him." 
Dear Christian reader, as Jesus has loved you and given 
himself for you, you ought to love your brethren. " A new 
commandment," says Jesus, " I give unto you, That ye love 
one another : as I have loved you, that ye also love one anoth- 
er." You have here a very strong reason to love them, in 
the consideration of Christ's love and gifts, and in the mo- 
tives which cluster around the common spiritual life of be- 
lievers. 

2. Another reason for loving your brethren, is found in 
the fact, that you expect to meet them in heaven ; that you 



DUTY TO OUR FELLOW MEMBERS. 



151 



expect to spend with them the life that never ends. The 
poet says, 

" there is a life above, 
Unmeasured by the flight of years ; 
And all that life is love." 

Life in heaven is a life of love ; and if you have those im- 
mortal longings, which are the beginnings of heavenly joys 
on earth, you will love those who are, "and will be partakers 
of your joys. Heaven is a holy and happy place, where 
the breath of woe never enters ; and you expect to meet 
your brethren there. How then can you fail to have your 
heart drawn out toward them in strong affection ? You nat- 
urally wish to meet your kindred and friends in that happy 
place. How much more should you love them, if you have 
the assurance, that you shall meet them there ? If any of 
them die, having given undoubted evidences of piety, your 
love for them should be increased : and if you die, leaving 
them behind, you will wish them to follow you. 

Often from your abode in the skies, you will look down 
upon your friends, so far as you may be permitted by infin- 
ite wisdom, to have a knowledge of their circumstances and 
state ; and if it were in your power, you would say, in lan- 
guage like that of Moses to Hobab the son of Raguel, Moses' 
father-in-law: "We are journeying to the place, of which 
the Lord hath said, ' I will give it thee.' Come thou with 
us and we will do thee good ; for the Lord hath spoken good 
concerning Israel." You will not be an uninterested spec- 
tator of your friends, as they journey in this world ; and if 
you have any assurance, that they are coming to meet you, 
how will your heart bound with joy, and your affection for 
them be as that, which many waters cannot quench, nor the 
floods drown. But if they will not follow you, you will event- 
ually forget them, and your love will be directed toward 
the brethren of that company, " who have come up through 



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DUTY TO OUR FELLOW MEMBERS. 



much tribulation, and washed their robes and made them 
white in the blood of the Lamb." As you esteemed the re- 
proach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt, 
and " chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, 
than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season," so now all 
your delight will be in your brethren of the congregation, who 
are striving by divine grace, to meet you in the abode of 
the righteous. 

While you are with them on the earth, you will love them, 
because they are journeying with you to the heavenly Ca- 
naan. You have left, in spirit, at least, houses and lands, 
father and mother, husband and wife, brother and sister for 
the kingdom of God's sake, and now your affections are 
placed on things above, where Christ is seated at the right 
hand of God. You have given evidence of your attachment 
to the people of God, by forsaking the course pursued by 
your unconverted friends; for the Saviour says : "If any 
man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and 
wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his 
own life also, he cannot be my disciple." As before ob- 
served, you will eventually forget them, if they will not fol- 
low you. " The time is coming, when you will not be able 
to shed a tear over the lost, and you will not wish anything 
to be different from what it is." And why will this be so ? 
Because your will, will be swallowed up in the will of God. 
Your affections will all be as are his affections, and you will 
not love his enemies, though they may have been your dear- 
est friends. 

It is well that you love your unbelieving kindred, so long 
at least, as they are in this probationary state. You have 
a deeper cause, however, to love your kindred in Christ ; 
and especially those with whom you are associated in a con- 
gregational capacity, and with whom you are intimately ac- 
quainted. You are striving to get to the same heaven, 



DUTY TO OUR FELLOW MEMBERS. 



153 



You expect to meet them there, where you shall enjoy the 
smiles of the same heavenly father, and of the same Jesus 
your elder brother. Though you may be indifferent to your 
brethren here, you cannot meet them there, without loving 
them ; for heaven is a place of affection. The thought, that, 
in a few short months, or years at most, you w ill be togeth- 
er in the heavenly world, should subdue your heart into a 
sweet affection for your brethren in Christ. The thought, 
that, when a few more clays shall have passed away, you 
shall stand by the grave of your intimate Christian friends 
—perhaps they may be your kindred according to the flesh 
■ — should constrain you to a sympathetic affection for them 
now. The thought, that, when a few brief moments of time 
shall have fled away forever, you shall spend a long eter- 
nity of bliss in heaven with your kindred in Christ, should 
constrain you now to regard them in the light of that eter- 
nal day, and now to love them with that love which shall 
then fill the souls of believers with the fulness of God. 
They have the same difficulties to pass through, in the jour- 
ney of life, which you have. They have the same repen- 
tance to exercise, in striving to enter in at the " strait gate " 
and to pursue the " narrow way." They have the same 
sorrows, and the same joys. They have the same struggles 
of conscience with sin ; the same conflicts of the mind ; the 
same trials of faith ; and the same troubles of the world ; 
the same hopes and fears ; the same deep longings for immor- 
tality ; and when at last they arrive in heaven, it will be by 
the same grace, and the same Saviour who bought them a par- 
don. When at any time, you should be tempted to lift against 
any of your brethren, the foot of pride, think of these things. 

There are times when roots of bitterness spring up among 
brethren, and they find it difficult to exercise that charity 
which is the bond of perfectness. Let them, however, re- 
member their own imperfections and sins, and that it will 
13 



154 



DUTY TO OUR FELLOW MEMBERS 



be Tvith much, difficulty they themselves shall get to heaven; 
for " the righteous shall scarcely be saved :" and it "will at 
least assuage their animosity and dispose them to lenity. 
Let them remember, that, in a little while, they shall lie 
with each other side by side, in the same cemetery, and their 
souls shall return to God who gave them ; and they will not 
find it in their hearts to hate that poor soul, which must 
soon appear before God, to give an account for the deeds 
done in the body. 

Perhaps some of your brethren may do you injustice, and 
conduct themselves in such a way as to lead you to doubt 
whether they are true brethren : and you may then be 
tempted to think, that you are justified in disliking them, 
and that you ought not to have any communion with them, 
nor show them any kindness. But you should recollect, 
that as long as their conduct does not conflict with the Con- 
stitution of the Church, and as long as they are not guilty 
of any disciplinable offence, you are bound to exercise to- 
ward them that charity which ' ; suffers long and is kind/ 5 
You should love them for the relation they sustain to the 
visible Church, although you may doubt whether they are 
really of the Church, in the full sense of the term. The 
Lord may have some beneficial purpose to serve with them 
in the Church. The tares and the wheat must grow togeth- 
er until the time of the harvest. Above all, should you 
love them for the sake of their souls, which are still capable 
of being rescued through the means of grace in the Church. 

If you have aught against any member of the Church, 
rather than treat him with indifference and unkindness, and 
speak evil of him behind his back : and thus embitter your 
own feelings against him, go and tell your mind to him alone, 
and entreat him to repent. Rather than conduct yourself 
toward him in a gruff and haughty manner, retire into your 
closet and pray for him. Pray also for yourself. Get a 



DUTY TO OUR FELLOW MEMBERS. 



155 



view of your responsibilities, and when you consider how 
often you have injured the cause of Christ, both in secret 
and in public, and how feeble you are, without the aid of 
divine grace, you will be in a state of mind to speak to your 
erring brother in a proper manner and in a proper spirit. 
If this course be pursued, there are no difficulties between 
brethren which may not be removed, and no offending and 
offended ones who may not be reconciled ; no wound which 
may not be healed ; nor any grievance which may not be 
redressed. Most generally, those difficulties between church- 
members, which do not call for a process of trial before the 
Church, may be removed, by following the rule of our Sa- 
viour, recorded in Matth. 18 : 15, 16 ; and even very fre- 
quently, those which are of a more flagrant character, and 
would justify a legal procedure, may, according to this same 
rule of our Saviour, as expressed more in detail in the Con- 
stitution of the German Reformed Church, be entirely 
removed, and the parties reconciled ; especially if, the offen- 
ded and offending persons are disposed to peace, which they 
certainly ought to be, if they bear the name of Christians. 

If, however, you have clone all in your power to recon- 
cile an offending brother, having admonished him twice or 
oftener, and in the presence of others ; and if, after he has 
been reported to the church and brought to a trial, he is 
still incorrigible, it is then your duty to regard him u as an 
heathen man and a publican." Do not connive at his sins, 
" and have no company with him. Yet, count him not as an 
enemy; but admonish him as a brother." Let charity fol- 
low him as far as possible. He may yet be reclaimed, and 
his soul be saved in the great day of reckoning. You may 
yet meet him in heaven. You should, therefore, love him 
with a love of compassion, and feel towards him, as the Sa- 
viour felt towards his persecutors, when he said, " Jeru- 
salem, Jerusalem ! thou that killest the prophets and stonest 



156 



DUTY TO OUR, FELLOVv 7 " MEMBERS. 



them that are sent unto thee, how often would I have gath- 
ered thy children together as a hen gathereth her brood un- 
der her wings, but ye would not." 

Many a backslider would be reclaimed, were there more 
sons of consolation in the Church, who would sympathize 
with poor souls; and many an impenitent one might be con- 
verted from the error of his ways, and saved from death, 
were there more who loved the souls of men and took a 
deep interest in their salvation. It is true, however, that 
many are so unlovely and uninteresting in themselves, and 
render themselves still more so by their conduct, that you 
may be tempted to excuse yourself from taking any inter- 
est in them, or caring for their souls. Still, you should re- 
member that they have souls, which are capable of experi- 
encing the same joys, in some degree, with yourself. " A 
man's a man for a' that." Yea, they may be your supe- 
riors ; for " God has chosen the poor of this world rich in 
faith." Jesus, in his holy mission, regarded the poor and 
lowly. He " became poor that we, through his poverty, 
might be made rich." He mingled with publicans and sin- 
ners, and preached the gospel to the poor. And one of his 
disciples, though a man of no mean standing, having been 
brought up at the feet of Gamaliel, says : " For ye see your 
calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the 
flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. 
But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to con- 
found the wise," &c. 

If, at any time, you should be inclined, from some cause 
or other, to think that you are justified in hating any of your 
fellow church-members, bear in mind that they have souls 
which may be redeemed, and that, though you cannot love 
them for their present virtues and character, you should love 
them for what they are capable of becoming. By the grace 
of God they may meet you in the upper sanctuary and wave 



DUTY TO OUR FELLOW MEMBERS. 



157 



with you the palm of victory, and wear the crown of glory, 
and sing the song of the redeemed. If, at any time, you 
should have your feelings -wounded, and be inclined to in- 
dulge a censorious spirit, and to use the tongue of slander, 
call to mind the words of Paul to Titus : " Put them in mind 
to speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, show- 
ins: all meekness to all men ; for we ourselves also were 
sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts 
and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and ha- 
ting one another. But after that the kindness and love of 
God our Saviour toward man appeared, not by works of 
righteousness which we have done, but according to his 
mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and re- 
newing of the Holy Ghost ; which he shed on us abundant- 
ly through Jesus Christ our Saviour ; that being justified by 
his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope 
of eternal life." Here the motives, drawn from the powers 
of the world to come — the hope of eternal life — the hope of 
meeting in heaven with the Church triumphant — as well as 
those drawn from the example of our Saviour, are present- 
ed, in order to incline us to mercy and kindness. 

I cannot refrain, in this place, from expressing an earn- 
est wish, that the spirit of love may more generally and 
deeply pervade the members of the Church. ! that it 
might, at least, equal that of the primitive Christians, of 
whom it was said, "Behold i how these brethren love one 
another." We have the same glorious future to which to 
look forward, and though we may not, at present, be in 
danger of losing our lives, we have the same spiritual ene- 
mies to encounter which they had, and which may be the 
more dangerous, from the fact of their being more reserved 
and secret in their opposition ; and instead of coming out 
openly against Christianity, mix truth with error in such a 
way as to destroy the former and give prevalence to the 
18* 



158 



DUTY TO OUR FELLOW MEMBERS. 



latter. These errors in doctrine and practice will eventu- 
ally bring the Church into a severe trial ; for those who 
hold errors will probably become the bitter persecutors of 
the faithful. It is not at all improbable, that a common 
sense of danger may yet bind believers together in bonds 
of love more closely than ever. There is ground for such a 
probability, when we take into consideration the words of 
the inspired Apostle : " This know also, that in the last 
clays perilous times shall come ; for men shall be lovers of 
their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, 
disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural 
affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, 
clespisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highmind- 
ed, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God ; having a 
form of godliness, but denying the power thereof : from 
such turn away." Believers shall then betake themselves to 
each other, and devote themselves to prayer and to God. 
When these perilous times shall come, " Satan shall be loos- 
ed out of his prison, and shall go out to deceive the nations, 
— the number of whom is as the sand of the sea — and they 
shall compass the camp of the saints about" for battle. They 
shall not succeed, however ; for "a fire," or something 
equivalent to fire in its effects on material elements, " shall 
come down from God out of heaven, and devour them,"— 
shall thwart their plans and discomfit them. The redeem- 
ed shall have their names written in the book of life, and 
their enemies shall not prevail against them ; for the Lord 
knoweth them that are his, and he will protect them, and 
they shall meet in the new Jerusalem, the holy city, come 
down from God out of heaven, having come off more than 
conquer ers through him that loved them. 

In view of these glories of the latter days, and the joy- 
ful meeting in heaven, and the trials and vicissitudes of the 
Christian journey, believers may well throw aside every mi- 



DUTY TO OUR FELLOW MEMBERS. 



159 



nor consideration, and with ardent love, strive together for 
" the faith once delivered to the saints." While they are 
thus engaged in endeavoring to obtain a place in the new 
Jerusalem for themselves, and striving to win others to go 
with them to the mansions in heaven, they may well remem- 
ber the words of Him who has gone to prepare a place for 
them, and who said, " This is my commandment, that ye love 
one another, as I have loved you." As they wish to meet 
their brethren in heaven, they should ever be influenced by 
the high and holy motives of " Glory to God in the highest, 
on earth peace and good will toward men." 

Could St. John the evangelist — the apostle of love — once 
more revisit the earth, he would probably find occasion to 
speak even more of love, than he did before. There is an 
instance related of him by Jerome, in regard to the power 
of this one prevailing trait in his character, that may well 
be cherished in the memory of the Church. It is stated, 
that when he had become too old and feeble to walk to the 
church, his brethren, on one occasion, carried him thither, 
and when he arrived immediately in front of the pulpit, he 
strengthened himself to address the congregation, and said, 
" Brethren, love one another" Dear reader, remember 
these words of the inspired apostle ; for he spake as he was 
moved by the Holy Ghost, in a peculiar manner. Listen to 
the voice of him who said, " Hear what the Spirit saith un- 
to the churches," and of him also who said, " Follow after 
charity ;" and who, in bidding an affectionate adieu, in his 
second epistle to the Corinthians, concluded in these words : 
" Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good com- 
fort, be of one mind, live in peace, and the God of love and 
peace shall be with you." 



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DUTY TO OUR FELLOW MEMBERS. 



A PETITION FOR THE GRACE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT ; AND AN AC- 
KNOWLEDGMENT OF THE TRANSGRESSION OF THE SAVIOUR' S 
COMMAND, TO LOYE HIM AND ONE ANOTHER. 

Kind and merciful God, who " didst so love the world, that 
thou gavest thine only begotten Son, that whosoever should believe 
in him, might not perish, but have everlasting life," I would love 
thee with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength ; for thou art 
worthy of the supreme homage and affection of my heart. And, 
0, thou kind and loving heavenly Father, may the love I bear to 
thee and thy cause, constrain me to love thy children also. I 
would yield myself to the influence of that love, which is heavenly 
and divine in its nature. I would sink into the arms of redeeming 
mercy, and feel that I am in the element of a new nature. I would 
yield myself to the control of the powers of the invisible world, 
and sweetly sink, — constrained by the dying love of my Redeem- 
er — in submission to the will and way of God, the king eternal, 
immortal, invisible, and only wise. 

But, God ! I acknowledge that I have withheld that affection 
which is due. I have not yielded to the power of that heavenly 
principle of love, which I have been commanded to exercise toward 
the brethren. I have not submitted- myself to the will and way of 
him, who is love itself, and whose very essence is affe'ction. And, ! 
it is with feelings of contrition, I acknowledge, that often, when I 
would do good, in this respect, evil is present with me ; so easily 
am I influenced by supposed offences, and by the lusts that war 
in my members. " The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is 
weak." Feeling my insufficiency I betake myself to prayer. 

Thou art a prayer-hearing, and a prayer-answering God, and 
thou hast said, through the mouth of Him who spake as never 
man spake, that thou art more willing to give the Holy Spirit to 
those that ask thee, than earthly parents are to give good gifts to 
their children. I am sensible, heavenly Father, that I need the 
Holy Spirit ; for without his influence, love will be cold, and I will 
be at the mercy of every vile passion. I trust I sincerely desire 
his grace. Lord, behold my heart and see, and if I am not suffi- 
ciently convinced of my want, do thou teach me by thy word and 



DUTY TO OUR FELLOW MEMBERS. 



161 



Spirit, and show me my sins. I am assured, that the way to grace 
is by penitence. Help me, therefore, to search my heart. And, 
0, what do I behold ? The sin of indifference ; the sin of care- 
lessness \ the sin of lukewarmness, for which thou hast threatened 
to cast me away — to spew me as it were, out of thy mouth; the 
sin of unbelief, for which thou hast threatened to cast me into the 
lake of fire. Yea, I behold my heart to be, as it were, the hold 
of every foul spirit, and the cage of every unclean and hateful bird. 
Lord, have mercy on me, and grant me the cleansing power of 
thy good Spirit. Hear me, for the sake of Jesus, my Mediator 
and Redeemer. Amen. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 



CHURCH AUTHORITY AND DISCIPLINE. CONDUCT OF THE 
CHURCH-MEMBER IN REFERENCE THERETO. PROMOTING 
THE WELFARE OF THE CONGREGATION. 



" Let all tilings he done unto edifying" "Knowledge 
puffeth uj3, hut charity edifieth." 

Although, as we have shown, charity is important, this 
does not imply, that church authority and discipline should 
be neglected. It does not imply, that such sins, as 
come under the denomination of disciplinable offences, 
should be connived at, or dealt with in any such way as to 
sanction them. The power of the keys is given to the 
Church, and she is bound to exercise it. It is her solemn 
duty to condemn, to some extent, by suspension and excom- 
munication, errors in doctrine and practice. 

It is the more necessary, that this subject should be con- 
sidered at this time, because, at the present day, there is a 
disposition in men, both in the Church and the State, to 
abuse the principle of charity and mercy, by casting their 
mantle over crimes of the deepest die, without any regard 
to justice. There is a disposition to reject the authority of 
the Church in matters of discipline, which augurs no good 
for the future. In these circumstances, the Church should 
speak out in clear tones, and exercise the rod, as Paul calls 
it. She should exercise the power, which is given her of 
Christ, in Matth. 18 : 15-21, and John 20 : 23, where it is 
clearly indicated, that whatever the Church does on earth 



CHURCH DISCIPLINE. 



163 



according to the divine will, shall be clone or sanctioned in 
heaven. And we may further say, that it is impossible for 
the Protestant part of the Church, as a whole, to do any- 
thing in the way of discipline to the destruction of souls, so 
long as she holds to the Scriptures as they were understood 
in the time of the apostles, and when the apostles' ^creed 
was formed, and in the time of the Reformation, when our 
catechisms and confessions of faith were drawn up and 
adopted. Even as the human mind heartily abhors tyran- 
ny in any shape or form, and particularly in the way of 
" lording it over God's heritage " in the Church ; so should 
the pious mind likewise have a holy horror for that unbri- 
dled liberty which would sin with impunity, and claim the 
privilege of doing as it pleases. Latitudinarianism in doc- 
trine or practice will work no good for the Church. To be 
strict in watching the moral conduct merely, of the church- 
member, without any reference to doctrine, is not sufficient. 

In the primitive Church there was discipline for heresy, 
as well as for vice. Errors in theory will always lead to 
errors in practice. And as it is claimed as a kind of privilege 
at this day, that every upstart may know all that the Bible 
teaches, and consequently, if his notions do not agree with 
the views expressed in our Church symbols, he has the right 
to oppose the authority of the Church, and each man to 
follow his own course — I say, because this privilege is claim- 
ed, and because it is unscriptural, and the very soul of sec- 
tarianism, we ought to be the more ready to " contend earn- 
estly for the faith once delivered to the saints." Only let 
discipline and zeal for sound doctrine, be accompanied with 
charity. The one is not inconsistent with the other. In- 
deed, love to God and his cause, and love to the Church, 
and the souls of men, should lead to zeal in the application 
of discipline. 

Some congregations are afraid to exercise discipline, lest 



164 



CHURCH DISCIPLINE. 



they should diminish in numbers and drive away their mem- 
bers to other congregations. But this "will not be the effect, 
to any great extent, if there be an equal zeal manifested for 
their salvation. If there be a living state of piety in the 
Church, and if fervent prayer be offered, and efforts corres- 
ponding therewith, made for the salvation of souls, the key 
of discipline will not frighten them away. But should the 
exercise of discipline be attempted in a prayerless spirit, 
and when there is but little or no living religion in the 
Church, the undertaking "will be hazardous enough. 

From the want of a spirit of heaven-born charity, it be- 
comes difficult to exercise discipline in the congregation ; 
and from the want of this same spirit, also proceed the diffi- 
culties between church-members, as well as many of those 
between theologians, and between different denominations. 
" From whence come wars and fightings among you ? Come 
they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your mem- 
bers ?" Much contention arises from evil passions, and 
not from love of the truth. Often we are aroused to opposition 
against an individual or individuals, and we think we have 
good scriptural reasons for it, when, perhaps, the moving 
cause is, a supposed or real personal injury we have receiv- 
ed. "Let him that standeth, take heed lest he fall." It 
is well, in the exercise of discipline, and in noticing the 
faults of our brethren, that we examine our motives, lest, in 
condemning others, we fall into condemnation ourselves. 
It is required of a prosecuting witness or witnesses, that he 
or they be not actuated by unhallowed motives. Nothing 
but pure intentions and a desire to promote the welfare of 
the Church and the interests of religion, will be approved 
by the all-seeing eye of Jehovah. Whether the accused be 
guilty or not, if you prosecute him from unhallowed motives, 
you will not receive, nor be entitled to any thanks. 

Care should be taken also, in accusing any one of an of- 



CHURCH DISCIPLINE. 



165 



fence, that the offence be one which fairly comes under the 
list of such as deserve censure, and therewith suspension or 
excommunication from the Church. There are subjects and 
practices, concerning which differences of opinion may be 
allowed. Charity should grant that liberty in minor and 
nonessential things, which the gospel permits. In gener- 
al, it may be said, that all such things as operate against 
the purity and honor of the Church, and the interests of re- 
ligion, are recognized as disciplinable offences. These are 
well summed up in the Constitution of the German Reform- 
ed Church, as follows, viz : " heresy, blasphemy, public 
schism, perjury, adultery, fornication, theft, fraud, lawless 
violence, contentiousness, intemperance, falsehood, filthy 
lucre, lascivious wantonness, gross profanation of the Lord's 
day, impudent scoffing, cruelty to servants, and others of 
similar character." 

Another fact which should be borne in mind by every 
member of the Church, is, that, so long as an individual is 
not proved to be guilty of an offence, it is their duty to re- 
gard him as a member in full communion, and to feel to- 
ward him as one brother should toward another. They 
should not withdraw their confidence and sympathy, on the 
ground of a mere rumor, which, after all, may be untrue. 
A mere suspicion, sometimes, is sufficient to alienate the 
minds of brethren from each other, and this suspicion may 
grow finally into an open rupture, with all the uncourteous 
conduct and evil speaking, which usually attend such an 
occurrence. These things ought not so to be. The most 
terrible denunciations are pronounced against the slanderer. 
" If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridletli 
not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, that man's re- 
ligion is vain," is the language of inspiration. Never give 
publicity to a person's faults until you know that he is 
guilty ; and then not until you have first spoken to him and 
14 



166 



SPIRITUAL C4RACES. 



admonished him privately. Bather than "take up a re- 
proach against your neighbor," and cherish hatred and ill 
will toward him, pray for him, and interest yourself in his 
behalf, in such a way as to benefit him. 

Although church authority and discipline are important, 
as we have seen, it is still more important, that the church- 
member should conduct himself in such a manner as not to 
require the exercise of that authority and discipline upon him . 
Permit me, therefore, to address my counsels to you, who 
are a church-member, and especially, if you be a young 
church-member, forming your character for the future, whom 
it is my intention to follow through all the relations of life 
to its close, with my friendly advice and assistance, and 
then to bid you my last farewell, with the hope of meeting 
you, as a true pilgrim, 

" In the land of pure delight, 
Where saints immortal reign." 

In order, that you may not fall into condemnation, it will 
be necessary for you to cultivate the fruit of the Spirit. I 
will select for your consideration those graces of the Spirit 
mentioned in the fifth chapter of Paul's epistle to the Gak= 
tians, where they are contrasted with the works of the flesh. 
It is presumed, that you have the Spirit of God ; that you 
have an earnest religious mind, and a tender conscience, so 
that by yielding fully to the influence of religious truth, the 
fruit of the Spirit will appear. " The fruit of the Spirit is 
love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 
meekness, temperance ; against such," says the apostle, 
" there is no law," that is, no law shall condemn them ; they 
shall be approved before God. 

1. Love. "We have already spoken of this grace. We 
cannot, however, speak of it too much, in the way of urging 
its exercise and cultivation. It is here placed first on the 



SPIRITUAL GRACES., 



167 



list, thereby indicating its importance. Love ! what is it ? 
Shall we define it ? It must live in your soul, if you would 
understand it. Go to the child who has a loving parent — ■ 
a Christian parent — a parent who prays with and for him 
in such a manner as to leave no doubt in his mind but that 
he loves him ; and you will see in his eye— in his counte- 
nance — in his whole demeanor, a living definition of love. 
Go to the disciple, who once betrayed his master, and be- 
hold his tears of penitence ; hear him say, in answer to the 
testing question : " Lovest thou me ?" 44 Lord thou know- 
est all things ; thou knowest that I love thee," and you 
have a good illustration of the nature and power of love. 

Love is the very life of true religion. It is the revivifying 
oil, which sends light and heat through every part of your 
conduct, and should pervade every thought, word and deed. 
Cultivate this love to God and the souls of men, by the in- 
fluence of which you will be enabled to do good unto all 
men, and especially to the household of faith. If you will 
follow the promptings of this love, you will give no offence 
either to Jew or Gentile, or to the Church of God. On the 
other hand, the most fearful denunciations are pronounced 
against you, if you are destitute of this love. " If any man 
love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maran- 
atha;" that is, let him be accursed, or condemned, at the 
coming of our Lord. Let him be cast out, where there is 
weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth. Where the 
Lord is in his glory, he cannot be. From heaven he shall 
forever be shut out. 

2. Joy. The Spirit produces joy. The Holy Spirit pre- 
pares the way for the indwelling of the Spirit and life of 
Jesus Christ, and Christ leads the soul to the Father, de- 
claring him, and opening a communion with him, the foun- 
tain of eternal bliss ; and the fact of the Holy Trinity thus 
making their abode with the believer and declaring his sins 



168 



SPIRITUAL GRACES. 



forgiven, is a source of joy. The joys of pardoned sin, and 
the foretaste of the joys of heaven, which the pardon of sin 
affords, will enable you to overcome the discouragements 
which would otherwise greatly depress your spirit. You 
need encouragement, such as the world cannot give, nor 
take away. The mind is often ready to despair. In your 
efforts to please your God and to advance his cause in the 
world, you may be cast down. At such times you may re- 
fresh your spirit, by communing with the upper world. The 
glories of eternity will then come to meet you, and you can 
look forward at the prospect before you, and the hope, that 
you will soon enter these eternal glories, will animate you 
in the ways of well-doing. Very properly did the apostle 
encourage the Philippian Christians in the language of hope 
and trust, " Rejoice in the Lord always; and again I say, 
Rejoice. Let your moderation be known to all men. The 
Lord is at hand." Yes, the Lord is at hand. He is here, 
and he is in heaven, and he will come and take you to him- 
self. Rejoice, therefore. 

3. Peace. The soul which has anchored its hopes on Je- 
sus, amid the storm of divine wrath which has awakened its 
fears, obtains peace. A calm and settled state of mind 
takes the place of those doubts, and fears, and dreadful fore- 
bodings, which before harassed the soul. A sweet con- 
sciousness and satisfaction, that all is well, succeeds the 
" dark waters and thick clouds of the skies." If you have 
ever passed through spiritual conflicts of this kind, you have 
experienced a heavenly peace as the result. The precise 
time, during these struggles, when you obtained assurance 
of favor, may not be so clear to your mind, and even after 
you have passed through the whirlpool which threatened to 
make shipwreck of your soul, you can scarcely believe your- 
self safe. But you have passed through and escaped being 
engulphed in the whirlpools of doubt, despair, and unbelief. 



SPIRITUAL GRACES. 



169 



The precise place where jour greatest danger lay, you may 
not have perceived ; but this you know, that you have pass- 
ed through dangers seen and unseen. You may still doubt; 
but the Spirit bears witness with your spirit, that you are 
born of God, and it is your privilege to take the comfort of 
that assurance, and be at peace with God. You have 
strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of 
the hope set before you, which hope you have as anchor of 
the soul, both sure and steadfast. The Spirit's rising beam 
points you to the." star of Bethlehem" 

"This is your guide, your light, your all, 

It bids your dark forebodings cease ; 
And through the storm and danger's thrall, 

It leads you to the port of peace." 

The effect of this peace upon your conduct will be, to 
make you peaceful toward your fellow men. You will man- 
ifest a peaceful spirit. Being at peace with God, and with 
your own conscience, you will be at peace with others. 
You will be at peace with the Church. You will be a peace- 
maker ; and, as much as in you lies, you will live peaceably 
with all men. Much more might be said of this grace, of 
which the Saviour said, " Peace I leaye with you. My peace 
I give unto you : not as the world giveth, give I unto you. 
Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." 
We will, however, only add the English poet's address to peace: 

" Lovely, lasting peace of mind, 
Sweet delight of human kind ; 
Heavenly born and bred on high, 
To crown the fav'rites of the sky. 
With more of happiness below, 
Than victors in a triumph know ; 
Whither, whither art thou fled, 
To lay thy meek contented head ? 
What happy region dost thou please 
To make the seat of calm and ease ? 
lovely, lasting peace appear ! 

14* 



170 SPIRITUAL GRACES. 

This world itself, if thou art here, 
Is once again with Eden blest, 
And man contains it in his breast. 
'Twas thus, as in the grove I stood, 
And sung my wishes to the -wood, 
And lost in thought no more perceived 
The branches whisper as they waved. 
It seemed, as all the quiet place 
Confessed the presence of the grace. 
When thus she spake : Go rule thy will, 
Bid thy wild passions all be still ; 
Know God, and bring thy heart to know 
The joys that from religion flow. 
Then every grace will be its guest, 
And I'll be there to crown the rest." 

4. Long-suffering. This Christian grace implies "pa- 
tience to defer anger, and contentedness to bear injuries." 
Happy indeed will you be, if you will not have occasion to 
call this grace into exercise ; but this is hardly to be ex- 
pected, in a world where sin has blighted the fair fruits of 
holiness, as it has in ours. You will have occasion to re- 
strain your irritated feelings, and to treat those who have 
injured you, with the spirit of forbearance. Were you to 
give vent to a discontented mind, and indulge in a spirit of 
revenge, you would soon deserve the censure of the Church 
for contentiousness. You should bear with the frailties and 
provocations of others, from the consideration, that God has 
long borne with yours. " The long-suffering of God is sal- 
vation," and the sweet persuasion, that he has been merciful 
to you, should induce you to practice forbearance toward 
your erring fellow-men. 

Charity suffers long and is kind ; and the spirit which 
would lead you to resent every injury, with a punctilious 
regard to "points of honor," is not of God. That proud 
and haughty spirit, which cannot brook an insult without 
resorting to retaliation, is not the spirit of the Christian. 
Consider the Saviour as your example. He was insulted 



SPIRITUAL GRACES 



171 



and injured : but he opened not his mouth. He suffered 
long, and was kind. He could afford not to notice the in- 
sults and injuries, which were heaped upon him. He saw, 
and yet he did not see. " Who is blind but my servant ? 
or deaf as my messenger that I sent ? Who is blind as he 
that is perfect, and blind as the Lord's servant ?" Jesus is 
a perfect exemplar — a perfect gentleman — a perfect char- 
acter, and upon him were bestowed distinguished honors. 
" The Lord is well pleased for his (Christ's) righteousness 
sake. He will magnify the law and make it honorable." 
The law, and every correct principle, are honored in Christ. 

5. Gentleness. This is such a sweetness of temper, as 
disposes those who possess it, to be affable and courteous in 
their conduct, and easy to be entreated by any who have 
wronged them. This grace will cause you to be respected 
and beloved. Many, who possess other Christian virtues, 
are deficient in this. Though they wish to give no offence, 
they destroy much of their influence, by their harsh temper 
and overbearing conduct. Their bad temper is made worse 
by their harsh words; and these both conspire together to lead 
them to sin against their brother, or to cast him off with in- 
dignation, if he happen to commit the least sin, or come 
short, in some respect, of their idea of propriety. 

When you have long borne with an erring brother, do not 
at last spoil all your long-suffering ', by breaking out into a 
violent passion. Let your gentleness last to the end ; and 
if you must reprove, let it be done in love. Christ, your 
Saviour, pronounced a woe upon the " scribes and phari- 
sees, and hypocrites;" but he did it in love, as well as in 
anger. His indignation was coupled with gentleness, and 
at the last he prayed for them, " "Father forgive them ; for 
they know not what they do." He was ready to forgive, 
and easy to be entreated, by all who had wronged him. 

6. Goodness. A generosity of spirit characterizes a 



172 



SPIRITUAL GRACES. 



branch of the true vine. He that is under the teaching of 
the Spirit, has a disinterested kindness and benevolence of 
disposition, which makes him ready to do good as he has 
opportunity. He desires to promote the spiritual and tem- 
poral welfare of his fellow-creatures, according to the best 
of his ability, and according to the plan that appears to be 
the most feasible. He is not swayed by self-interest, and 
does not do good, merely that he may be repaid again in 
this world. His only ruling desire is, to promote the high- 
est good of his fellow-creatures, and the glory of the crea- 
tor of all. He does not do good to others, in order that 
they may pay him back with interest. He does not indulge 
a generous spirit toward them, only as long as they help 
him to make money. No. A disinterested goodness which 
"asks not again," prompts him to deeds of benevolence to 
all men, and especially to the household of faith. 

7. Faith. This word is taken in the sense of " fidelity, 
justice, and honesty, in what we profess and promise to 
others." You have professed faith in the .Lord Jesus 
Christ, and you have promised your pastor and the Church, 
that you would obey the requisitions of the Bible, as they 
are expressed in the Catechism and Constitution of our 
Church. If you have the Spirit of God, you will conscien- 
tiously endeavor to fulfill these promises. And if you ne- 
glect and break your engagements with God and his Church, 
you will expect to be corrected and chastened of the Lord, 
and admonished by the Church. You will not make any 
reservations, and, while you profess to serve God with the 
whole heart, and to give him your all, like Ananias and 
Sapphira, keep a portion to be used according to your own 
self-will, If you have the grace of honest fidelity, you will 
have respect to all the commands of God. You will con- 
sider as obligatory, all the duties of a church-member. 

So likewise in your transactions with individuals, culti- 



SPIRITUAL GRACES 



173 



Tate a strict fidelity to all your promises. A carelessness 
in this respect, will bring upon you the displeasure of your 
friends. Step by step you will advance in the way of the 
unfaithful servant, until you bring upon yourself serious 
consequences. A want of punctuality, will impair confidence, 
in whomsoever it is found. Cultivate a conscientious re- 
gard to all your promises, and be perfect in all your en- 
gagements, so far as you are capable of being perfect, a3 
your Father, who is in heaven, is perfect. He is faithful 
who has promised : he also will perform. 

8. Meekness. This is very much the same as gentle- 
ness. It is more the effect of the will, however, and is, es- 
pecially the grace by which the passions and resentments 
are restrained and controlled, and by which we are easily 
pacified, when we have been offended. It is the very oppo- 
site of anger and a spirit of revenge. 

Meekness should be a marked trait in your character. 
You should check the first rising of resentment in your 
breast. Let not this sin have dominion over you ; and if 
perchance, you should be led astray so far as to permit the 
wrath of man to take possession of your mind, let not the 
sun go down on your anger. If at any time, you have in- 
dulged in any thing which has given just cause of offence to 
any one, seek a reconciliation as soon as possible. Remem- 
ber the words of Christ : " If thou bring thy sift before the 
altar and there rememberest that thy brother hath aught 
against thee ; leave there thy gift before the altar, and go 
thy way ; first be reconciled to thy brother and then come 
and offer thy gift." Alas ! that any one, professing to be a 
follower of the meek and lowly Jesus, should harbor ill- 
feelings for days, and weeks, and months, and even years, 
toward a fellow disciple. Ah ! that is certainly not the 
spirit of Christ. It is not the spirit of the apostles : for 
one beseeches the Corinthians " by the meekness and gen- 



174 



SPIRITUAL GliACES. 



tleness of Christ ;" and another says, " Beloved, let us love 
one another. If any man say, 'I love God,' and hateth his 
brother, he is a liar ;" and ail bear witness that the wisdom 
which is from above, is peaceable, gentle, and easy to be 
entreated, full of mercy and good fruits. As God has been 
merciful toward you, so should you be merciful toward your 
brother. 

" All the souls that are, were forfeit once, 

And he who might the 'vantagabest have took, 

Found out the remedy. How would you be, 

If He. who is the top of judgment, should 

But judge you as you are ? Oh! think on that, 

And mercy will breathe within thy lips, 

Like man new made. 

Tho' justice be thy plea, consider this, 

That in the course of justice, none of us 

Should see salvation ; we do pray for mercy ; 

And that same prayer, doth teach us all to render 

The deeds of mercy." 

9. Temperance. Moderation in food and drink and other 
enjoyments of life, may be included in the word temper- 
ance. It seems to be mentioned last, because it has more 
exclusive regard to man's own person. It has more immedi- 
ate reference to an individual's self, than the other fruits of 
the Spirit. It refers to his body, — this house — this tene- 
ment of clay, in which he lives, and which, nevertheless, is 
the temple of the Holy Ghost. Plunging into sensual en- 
joyments, of some kind or other, to excess, destroys the 
body and enervates the mind, and excludes the Holy Spir- 
it ; for the Spirit cannot dwell, where men make a god of 
their bodily appetites, that is, give themselves up to inordi- 
nate affection for sensual gratification, and thus worship the 
creature more than the Creator. 

To be deficient in the grace of temperance is to suffer in 
every other respect ; for intemperance obscures and destroys 
all other graces. It is in view of this fact, that the sacred 



SPIRITUAL GRACES. 



175 



writer exhorts, " Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers 
and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against 
the soul." Paul also says to Timothy, " Flee also youth- 
ful lusts," intimating that this is necessary, in order to "be 
a vessel unto honor, sanctified, and meet for the master's 
use, and prepared unto every good work." 

I need not tell you, that the chief danger of intemper- 
ance is from indulging in the use of intoxicating drinks. 
This is incomparably the most destructive of all forms of 
intemperance. It inflames every vile passion, and every 
sensual appetite,* It strengthens every "foolish and hurt- 
ful lust, which drown men in destruction and perdition." 
You should avoid it, as you would avoid the judgment and 
perdition of ungodly men; as you would avoid hell itself. 

Without presuming to define precisely to what extent you 
may indulge with safety in the use of intoxicating drinks, I 
would give my advice as one who has received mercy of the 
Lord, to be faithful. The intoxicating drinks in use, at the 
present day, are much more deleterious in their effects than 
those used in former times. The probability is, that they 
are injurious, if used in any quantity as a beverage, or a 
common drink. If so, a conscientious regard to your health, 
in view of the sixth command, should induce you to abstain 
from the use of them. It has always appeared to me, a 
very foolish custom, to say the least, for a person in health 
to use spirituous liquors, as a beverage, even should they not 
be injurious to health. At all events, the high and mag- 
nanimous motives of the gospel, should lead you to keep 
yourself as far from the clangers of intemperance as possi- 
ble ; and instead of venturing to indulge even moderately in 
the use of intoxicating liquors — for which there is no neces- 
sity, except for medicinal purposes, as a physician may pre- 
scribe in the case of an invalid — you should shun the use of 
them entirely. All are aware of the dangers and tempta- 



176 



SPIRITUAL GRACES 



tions to which a person is exposed, who uselessly drinks a 
dram occasionally. You pray, " Lord, lead me not into 
temptation," and yet by drinking you would place yourself 
in the way of temptation. To be consistent, you should 
avoid the temptations of " the cup," as a deadly evil. 

Moreover, you are under solemn obligations, more and 
more to flee from that which is evil, and to cleave to that 
which is good. You are under solemn obligations to do 
your duty, as far, and as soon, as you become acquainted 
with it. And this you will do, if you are a true believer. 
You will " grow in grace, and in the knowledge of God." 
To illustrate, at once, your duty and your disposition, per- 
mit me to relate an anecdote, which occurred in substance 
as follows : — A gentleman wished to hire a coachman. 
Three young men came to him to offer their services. The 
first, to recommend himself, remarked, that he could drive 
within an inch of the edge of a precipice without going over. 
The second observed, that he could approach within six 
inches without driving over. . The third said he could stay 
away as far as possible. I'll employ you, sir, said the gen- 
tleman; I'll employ you, sir. Just so, he that is wise and 
conscientious, will avoid, as much as possible, the precipice 
of intoxication, which stands on the side of the abyss of in- 
temperance, into which thousands have been hurled by ven- 
turing too near. 

Drunkenness is classed as a disciplinable offence ; and, in 
the absence of a definition of what constitutes drunkenness, 
I will venture to say, that to drink so much that the effect, 
to any extent, of an injurious character, may be seen by 
your friends and acquaintances, constitutes drunkenness. 
A drunkard shall not inherit eternal life, any more than an 
idolater, or fornicator, or thief, or covetous one, or reviler, 
or extortioner shall, unless he repent and reform through 
faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. No one shall enter the 



SPIRITUAL GRACES. 



17T 



kingdom of heaven, who is not willing to " break off his 
sins by righteousness ;" and he, who is unwilling to forsake 
the sin of drunkenness, is unwilling to forsake any other 
sin he may love. He thereby shows, that he is destitute of 
the Holy Spirit, and of the life of Jesus Christ the true 
vine. 

The Spirit of God, operating on the heart, prompts an 
individual to live temperately, soberly, and godly in this 
present evil world. Drunkenness should be avoided the 
more strenuously, because it is the parent of many other 
sins. It will lead to profane swearing, to quarreling and 
fighting ; to theft, to covetousness, and to sensual abuses of 
every kind. In a community where drunkenness prevails, 
there is little or no virtue, or religion. Let temperance 
prevail, and men will reflect, and repent of their sins against 
God, and reform to the salvation of their souls, if they are 
in possession of the institutions of religion. 

Though you may easily be so far temperate, as to avoid 
the notice of your friends, and the censure of the Church, 
you will not be satisfied without avoiding the causes, and 
the steps which lead to it, and which may exist long before 
any effect is visible. The fruit which appears on a tree, or 
on the stalk, is the result of a process which goes on beneath 
the ground, and is unseen. So intemperance, together 
with all other vices, are the result of sinful thoughts and 
worldly lusts, and evil principles, which operate in the heart 
unseen. These, however, are known to Jehovah. He looks 
upon the heart. The Church pronounces censure and con- 
demnation only as she has evidence by the fruit. " By 
their fruits, ye thall know them." But God will condemn, 
though the fruit may be suppressed and concealed by hy- 
pocrisy ; for while the heart is still unrenewed and adapted 
to produce only evil fruit, — though that fruit may not be 
brought to perfection— it is not right with God. As a gen- 
15 



178 



SPIRITUAL GHACES, 



eral thing, however, the heart will develop itself, and a 
Christian may be known by his fruits. 

And now, dear reader, I have endeavored to direct your 
attention to some of the Christian graces. Suffer me to ex- 
hort you to cultivate these fruits of the Spirit. By doing 
so, you will avoid falling into condemnation ; and you will 
receive the honor of God and the approbation of the Church. 
But if you should happen to fall into open sin, confess your 
fault, and, like Peter of old, repent of your sin in earnest 
and deep self-abasement. And, if you are charged, as you 
may suppose, wrongfully, do not refuse to attend a trial be- 
fore the consistory of the congregation, and thus have the 
charge investigated. I have known persons who would not 
do this, because they considered that they were falsely ac- 
cused, and because the officers of the Church were much 
younger than themselves, and because they had lived in the 
Church so many years without being called to account for 
anything which they had done. But beware how you treat 
the church council. They are the constituted authority 
under God, for the execution of his will in the government 
of the Church. He that despises the Church, despises 
Christ, and he that despises Christ, despises him that sent 
him. 

The disgrace of denying sin and concealing it, after it 
has been committed, is far greater than the disgrace of dis- 
covery and acknowledgment. It is more honorable in the 
sight of God, and of all honest men, to acknowledge a fault, 
than to conceal it, and to submit to a trial under the prop- 
er authority, than to refuse any investigation. " He that 
covereth his sins shall not prosper, but whoso confesseth and 
forsaketh them shall have mercy." Bemember Achan, who 
hid the Babylonish garment, the wedge of gold, and the 
three hundred shekels of silver in the midst of his tent, as 
the Israelites were journeying to the land of Caanan, and 



WELFARE OF THE CHURCH. 



179 



brought upon himself and his family swift destruction. Had 
he confessed, he would have saved himself : but he did not 
until the fiat went forth that the troubler of Israel should 
be destroyed. Then he confessed, but it was too late. 
Thus God will destroy the wicked in the day of judgment, 
when they shall confess, and it shall be too late. 

But I trust it will not come to this with you. If you are 
truly faithful and peaceable, you will give the Church no 
trouble, and save yourself the mortification of a long trial 
and condemnation at last. You will confess the truth at 
once, fully and frankly, without trying to raise new issues. 
There are those who try to evade the truth, by raising col- 
lateral, and new questions. This is dishonorable and un- 
christian, and I hope you will never give your brethren any 
trouble in this respect. An honest-minded person can gen- 
erally make a question of discipline, with regard to himself, 
very plain, by stating his own deficiencies or offences, and 
asking pardon of God and of the Church : and he can make 
short work of an act of discipline, by submitting to admoni- 
tion and attending to his own guilt without finding fault 
with others, and with the manner in which his case has been 
brought up and disposed of. If all were thus minded, a 
happy day would dawn upon the Church, beyond any that 
has yet appeared. 

Another motive which I would place before your mind, 
to stimulate you in the work of faith and labor of love, is, 
the promotion of the prosperity of the congregation. Not 
only should you avoid the censure of the Church, and pre~ 
serve your own character, but you should also promote the 
welfare of the Church. Your plans and schemes in the 
congregation should all have for their object the advance- 
ment of its prosperity ; and all your plans of worldly good, 
as well as your schemes for acquiring wealth, and promoting 
the welfare of your family, should centre in and be subor- 



180 



WELFARE OF THE CHURCH, 



dinate to the object of promoting the welfare of the Church. 
All your plans and desires should be controled and directed 
by the principle expressed in the petition of the Lord's 
prayer: "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done." I am 
confident, that I do not place the mark too high, when I 
say, that the object of your life should be nothing less than 
to " seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness." ; 

1. Some persons seem to be satisfied to have just religion 
enough to keep them out of perdition, and to avoid the cen- 
sure of the Church. Without denying that such may get 
to heaven, I am bound to think that their case is doubtful, 
and that they occupy dangerous ground. They appear to 
me to be too much of the character of Ananias and Saphira, 
and I am far from proposing such a position to you. No, 
I would rather propose to you the position of the apostle 
Paul, who said, " Forgetting those things which are behind, 
and reaching forth unto those things which are before ; I 
press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of 
God in Christ Jesus ;" and that of the apostle Peter, who 
said, " Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to 
make your calling and election sure : for if ye do these 
things, viz : add to faith virtue and to virtue knowledge and 
to knowledge temperance, &c, ye shall never fall ; for so 
an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantlv into 
the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus 
Christ." 

I would woo you into affection for the Church, and stim- 
ulate you to active efforts to promote her welfare, by the 
glorious future which is before you, and by the glorious fu- 
ture which is in reserve for the Church in her triumphs in 
this world. It is wrong for a church-member to have any 
object in higher estimation in the world, than this. The 
cause of God should lie the nearest his heart of all that en- 
gages his attention here, 



WELFARE OF THE CHURCH. 



181 



It is an evil and a bitter thing, when the interests of the 
Church are held insubordination to other interests. Some 
appear to make their worldly and family interests the great- 
est object of their lives, and when these are not promoted 
by the Church, they are willing to forsake her. They wish 
to use the Church as a means to make money, or to advance 
them in their " business " and promote their worldly, selfish 
ends. They thus make merchandise of the Church, and 
trifle with holy things, which God has set apart for another 
use. This is awfully wicked conduct, and when characters 
of this kind get into the Church, they never fail to be 
troublesome. 

The Church indeed does promote our best worldly inter- 
ests by indirect and spiritual means, but not by making 
herself a machine or a medium by the direct means of which 
our stock of wealth is increased, and our families are placed 
in the best of circumstances. Very often our Christian 
profession may be the means of bringing poverty upon us, 
by withdrawing from us the patronage of the worldly mind- 
ed ; but, in the end, and on the whole, even earthly pros- 
perity will come to us, sufficient at least to make us com- 
fortable. For virtue will prosper, and the righteous shall 
not be forsaken ; nor shall his seed beg bre^d, or be in ab- 
solute want. Numerous instances have occurred, in the 
history of the world, in proof of this. But if piety do not 
always bring wealth, it will bestow a mind which can ap- 
preciate and enjoy what God, in his providence, may grant. 
" The meek shall inherit the earth :" that is, they shall en- 
joy the earth with its blessings. 

But this should not be the object after which you should 
strive. You should be willing to serve God, whether he 
grants you little or much of this world's goods. You should 
endeavor to promote the good of the Church, whether she 
promotes your temporal welfare or not. Her primary de? 
15* 



182 



WELFARE OF THE CHURCH. 



sign is to promote your spiritual, and not your temporal 
prosperity. In doing the former, she may, or may not do 
the latter, and still accomplish her design. 

2. Others, again, appear to desire above all things else, 
to promote their own importance and popularity. They 
love to have the preeminence. The curse of an ambitious 
mind seems to follow them into their very devotions, and in 
the place where they should be characterized by humility 
of mind, they seek the honor which comes from men. They 
wish themselves and their families and friends to stand in 
the first place, and to be at the head of everything that is 
done or doing in the congregation. Are officers to be 
elected and they are not chosen, they are offended. Are 
prayer-meetings held and they are not called upon to lead, 
they are dissatisfied, and will withdraw their prayers and 
sympathies from the Church, and rather exert their influ- 
ence to retard, than to advance her interests. Is a church 
edifice to be built, or a minister called, or a parsonage to 
be erected, or any enterprise to be commenced and carried 
forward, and they are not largely consulted and sufficient 
deference is not paid to their opinions and wishes, they will 
oppose the measure. 

It is to be hoped you will avoid this disposition of mind, 
and that you will cordially cooperate with every laudible 
effort for the good of the Church ; and especially, that you 
will not cease to labor for the best interests of the Church, 
even though you may not be as favoraby regarded, and as 
highly esteemed, as you think you should be. May the 
prayer of the Psalmist be ever upon your lips : " Save now, 
I beseech thee, Lord : Lord, I beseech thee, send now 
prosperity." With Isaiah, may you be ready to do the will 
of God, and say, " Here am I, send me ;" send me to do 
thy work. May I be willing to do anything, to go any- 
where, and to be anything for thy sake and the Church's 



WELFARE OF THE CHURCH. 



183 



sake. Why should you seek high station, and love to have 
the preeminence ? Do your duty faithfully, and you shall 
attain to that standing which God, by his providence, may 
indicate for you ; and that consideration of which your 
brethren may esteem you worthy. " Humble yourself un- 
der the mighty hand of God, and he will exalt you in due 
time." This world is not the place to look for honors. 
You should seek the honor which comes from God only, and 
that honor which he bestows at the last day, upon those 
who shall have been his good and faithful servants. 

3. There are still others who are naturally or constitu- 
tionally tyrannical and overbearing in their dispositions. 
By constitution and by education a man may come to look 
upon others as subject to him, to regard his own decisions 
and opinions as always right, and to consider that others 
ought to submit their will and wishes to his direction and 
control. Instead of guiding the minds of others by earnest 
reason and persuasion, he will brow-beat and bully them 
into his own views and measures. It is to be feared, there 
are many who have been educated in a separatistic way — - 
in a way by which they have been led to think their deci- 
sions are infallibly right — who are accordingly extremely 
intolerant and overbearing. And were it not for the voice 
of history, which in this respect is still regarded, and for 
public opinion, they would probably act over again the 
scenes of intolerance witnessed in former days, during the 
existence of Roman inquisitions. I say, it is to be feared 
there are many of this spirit. But, wherever it is found, it 
is not the spirit of the gospel. In things essential, let his- 
tory and the word of God decide. In things doubtful or in- 
different, let reason, propriety and Scripture principles di- 
rect, and not self-interest and self-will. I trust I speak 
the mind of the Spirit and the voice of the Church, when I 
say : Let those who are in authority in the Church, govern 



184 



WELFARE OF THE CHURCH. 



according to the will of God. Let them not lord it over 
God's heritage, but be helpers together of his people's joy. 
Let those who counsel and advise, speak the language of 
correct reason, and not that of dictation and self-will. 

I hope, if you are tainted with any of this unhappy tem- 
per of mind, you will, as a conscientious member of the 
Church, endeavor to rid yourself of it, and submit to the 
dictates of reason and truth, and regard your brethren, — 
as to their rights and opinions and wishes — more on an 
equality with yourself. They may be inferior to you in 
mind and knowledge ; but they still have a right to be treat- 
ed as reasonable creatures. They should be led, not driven, 
by you as a guide. If they are driven at all, let them be 
driven by the command and will of God. But in matters 
in which God has not delegated you to execute his will, you 
are not authorized to dictate, but to persuade and reason. 
" Mind not high things," therefore, " but condescend to 
men of low estate," and consider that they have a conscience, 
reason, and a will as well as yourself. "Be of the same 
mind one toward another," says Paul ; that is, live in har- 
mony and concord by considering each other's rights and 
opinions. And again, " Be not wise in your own conceits." 

4. Closely allied with those who are self-"willed and un- 
reasonable, is another class of persons who conscientiously 
think, that their plans and measures must be carried out, or 
there will be no prosperity. They are so wedded to their 
own opinions and plans, that if these do not succeed, they 
are ready to give up all efforts in despair. Instead of rely- 
ing mainly on the regular ordained means of grace for the 
progress of the kingdom of God, they have always some ex- 
traordinary scheme of their own, which appears to them 
more important than anything else. Apparently every 
thing must stop, rather than that their favorite schemes 
should be hindered. They will tie down the car of progress, 



WELFARE OF THE CHURCH. 



185 



in religious affairs, to their notions of expediency. They 
are not "willing, to allow that their plans should be set aside 
by the wisdom of others, and that God, in his providence, 
can use other means to advance his cause. It sometimes 
happens, though they are so strongly attached to their de- 
signs, that their plans are very poorly adapted to accom- 
plish a good end. But whether good or bad, the failure of 
accomplishment through the opposition of others, or the 
existence of unfavorable circumstances, should not deter 
any one from doing that which is in his power for the good 
of Zion. Variety in religious meetings, adapted to times 
and circumstances, and improvements in the accommodations 
of places of worship, and in all the ways of bringing about 
a practical application of the spirit and principle of our 
holy religion to the minds of men, may be well, and 
should be studied. There is such a thing as adaptation— 
a becoming all things to all men, that we may, by all 
means gain some. If, however, one effort fail, we should 
make another. If one plan does not succeed, we should 
try another. If you, therefore, should have a plan to pro- 
mote the welfare of your congregation, and it does not suc- 
ceed, be not so discouraged as to yield to despair. If you 
have reason to believe your scheme is a good one, endeavor 
in mildness and firmness to carry it out ; but if your breth- 
ren think otherwise, then do what you can by other means. 
Let the welfare of the congregation be ever your uppermost 
desire, and may the words of the Psalmist inspire you with 
love to Zion : " One thing have I desired of the Lord, that 
will I seek after ; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord 
all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, 
and to inquire in his temple." 

5. Another mode of promoting the welfare of the con- 
gregation is the practical carrying out of the spirit and 
doctrines of that branch of the Church to which you belong. 



186 



WELFARE OF THE CHURCH, 



Every distinct branch of the Church has its peculiar spirit. 
It may be impossible to describe this spirit fully, or to ex- 
plain entirely wherein it consists ; but still it exists and 
may be felt. Thus when members of one denomination at- 
tend the preaching and worship of another denomination, 
they may be edified and benefitted to some extent ; but they 
do not feel fully at home, because it is not their own Church. 
Their spiritual wants are not so fully met and satisfied, be- 
cause that peculiar spirit is not present, to which they have 
been accustomed. 

It is true, at the same time, that peculiarities, which are 
not essential and important, should give way before the 
essential objects and truths of our holy religion. These 
objects are the divine life of our Lord and Saviour Jesus 
Christ, communicated and accompanied with the agency and 
indwelling of the Holy Spirit and the presence of the Fath- 
er, thus bringing the soul into a real and living communion 
with the triune God. And with these objects are connect- 
ed certain facts or truths, and a certain theory of religion 
and system of doctrines, which are necessary to be believed 
and held fast to, in order that the divine life of Christ in 
the Church may be obtained and fully developed, or carried 
out. This mediatorial life and communion with God, the 
infinite and holy One, is realized by the means of grace in 
the Church. And these objects of faith are expressed and 
included in such words of the New Testament Scriptures 
as the following : " The faith once delivered to the saints;" 
"The doctrine according to godliness;" "Great is the 
mystery of godliness : God was manifest in the flesh, justi- 
fied in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, 
believed on in the world, received up into glory ;" " Here- 
by know ye the Spirit of God : Every spirit that confesseth 
that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, is of God. And eve- 
ry spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in 



WELFARE OE THE CHURCH. 



187 



the flesh, is not of God." " For the life was manifested ;" 
" He that hath the Son hath life ; and he that hath not the 
Son of God hath not life ;" " For God so loved the world, 
that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believ- 
eth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life ;" 
" I am the living bread which came down from heaven : if 
any man eat of this bread he shall live forever : and the 
bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the 
life of the world;" " And whosoever liveth and believeth 
in me shall never die. Believest thou this ?" 

These objects of faith, together with the doctrines and 
theory of religion with which they are connected, are also 
expressed and comprehended in the " articles of our un- 
doubted Christian faith," or the Apostles' Creed, as it has 
been called. It was so called, because it contains the truths 
which the Apostles held up and preached, as the essential 
truths of salvation. It expresses the doctrines and spirit 
of the apostles. It includes those things which were taught 
by the apostles as the necessary beginnings of all true faith 
and the germs of all true doctrine in time to come. The 
same are expressed, in other words, in the Epistles and 
other writings of the apostles ; but here they are brought 
together. These articles contain the system of doctrine 
commonly received in the time of the apostles and for some 
time thereafter ; but were never written down in full in their 
present form, until heresies arose in the Church, and the 
Church in the exercise of her right and duty pronounced 
censure upon these heresies. As such — taken in their orig- 
inal spirit and meaning — they form a standard by which 
we may judge of doctrines in all time to come ; for whatev- 
er differs materially from those cannot be of apostolic origin, 
or in accordance with the Scriptures and the teachings of the 
apostles. 

The individual who undertakes to interpret the Scriptures 



188 



WELFARE OF THE CHURCH. 



without acknowledging, consulting, and understanding these 
articles of the primitive Christians and Apostles, will lose 
the spirit and true meaning of the Scriptures themselves. 
He who will not study the Scriptures, in connection with 
the manner in which the Church has studied and understood 
them in the different periods of history, will run into the 
wildest errors, and delusions, and schisms. This has been 
proved by the history of the past. The use of the Apos- 
tles' Creed appears in this, that it is a guide to prevent her- 
esies, and to enable us to keep a proper knowledge of the 
Scriptures. Not that it is inspired like the Scriptures, and 
perfectly infallible ; but because it is a general outline of 
the fundamental truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ, as 
they were felt and realized in the beginning. Although 
peculiarities and even important differences ought to give 
way before these essential facts and doctrines, yet in the 
present state of things, they do not do it. Though divis- 
ions should be prevented by them, yet, as the Christian 
world now stands, they are not. And though divisions 
should have been prevented by them from the beginning, 
they were not, owing to the imperfection and sinfulness of 
human nature. The work of redemption was committed to 
the agency of men. The Holy Spirit was poured out and 
the life and Spirit of Christ were applied to the life of hu- 
manity in the persons of the members of the Church who 
were but erring men ; and, consequently, in its develop- 
ment, heresies had to arise, that they who are approved, may 
be made manifest. 

Numerous sects arose in the first ages of the Church. 
More than fifty are enumerated by one writer. These have 
all gone out of existence. And thus it is, that time will 
show, in the end, what is genuine truth. Historical devel- 
opment will prove every man's work. " By their fruits 
shall ye know them." By tracing the development of doc- 



WELFARE OF THE CHURCH. 



189 



trines and practices from the beginning, in connection with 
the infallible and inspired Scriptures, we can judge of them 
whether they are good or evil. Thus they will be judged 
and esteemed, and sects which are in error, and consequent- 
ly have no right to exist, will come to an end, or at most 
have a feeble and unimportant existence, and finally run 
out into open infidelity ; whilst those who have a mission to 
fulfill will continue until their claims are acknowledged, and 
justice is done to their principles and Spirit by those from 
whom they differ, and they be again united in cordial union 
and cooperation in the work of the Lord. 

But, not only did sects arise in the beginning ; the body 
of the Church also became extremely corrupt, so much so, 
that it was almost universally felt in the fifteenth century, 
that a reformation was necessary. Those, who were in au- 
thority in the Church, instead of governing according to the 
revealed will of God, lorded it over God's heritage. Anti- 
christ took his seat in the very centre of the temple of God, 
and usurped the authority. Burdens were placed on men, 
which it was not their duty to bear ; and the consequence 
was a division and a protest against errors and abuses. The 
cause of this division was in those, who were in authority, 
and with them the responsibility lies. Those who separated 
from the Church of Borne in the days of the Reformation, 
were justified in the steps they took. True, not all sects 
which have arisen since, had a just cause for separating 
themselves from the Church ; the Reformation of the six- 
teenth century, however, will stand acknowledged as emi- 
nently a work of God. But such are the diverse influences 
upon the human mind, and such the weakness of human 
nature, that Protestants also divided. This division in Ger- 
many was caused by the unreasonableness and obstinacy of 
Luther. It arose out of his opposition to Carlstadt and the 
fanatics, who wished to deny the doctrine of the real pres- 
16 



190 



WELFARE OF THE CHURCH. 



ence in the sacrament of the Lord's Supper ; and the latter 
of whom even went so far, in their opposition to forms, as 
to deny the use of the written word, thus falling into the 
error of what may be called spiritual formalism, and for- 
getting that the true and full influences of the Spirit of 
God are confined to the divinely ordained forms and means 
of grace in the Church. Luther, fearing the extremes of 
these persons, and contending for what he knew to be im- 
portant, fell somehow into the mistake of maintaining the 
idea of a bodily presence in the sacrament, and making a 
belief in this doctrine essential to union. Until this con- 
troversy took place, Protestants began to be designated by 
the name Reformed, and would probably have continued 
to be so designated, had not the division occurred. Those 
who rejected the doctrine of the bodily- presence, generally 
retained this name. In Germany and Switzerland, those 
who opposed the Lutheran view of the sacrament, were at 
first headed by Zwingli and Oecolampadius ; afterwards by 
Calvin, Ursinus and Olevianus. Melancthon also favored 
their views. Ursinus and Olevianus particularly gave expres- 
sion to the true views of the Reformed Church in Germany, 
by preparing that excellent formula of doctrine, the Heidel- 
ber Catechism. 

My object in this digression, sketching the history of 
doctrine and the Church, is to show the origin of the Ger- 
man Reformed Church, to have been justifiable and honor- 
able, and that, in laboring to promote her welfare, you are 
doing God service. For a more full history of the Re- 
formation and of the German Reformed Church, I would 
refer you to D'Aubigne's History of the Reformation, Dr. 
Mayer's History^of the German Reformed Church, and Dr. 
Nevin's History and Genius of the Heidelberg Catechism. 

If you are a member of the German Reformed Church, 
it is presumed that you have imbibed her spirit. She has 



WELFARE OF THE CHURCH, 



191 



no doubt a mission to fulfill — a work to perform for the ben- 
efit of souls and for the good of our common Christianity. 
Her origin is honorable and her history full of interest, 
" enshrining ideas and principles which are worthy of being 
cherished as a precious legacy in all coming time." It is 
presumed, therefore, that you are willing to say : " I am, 
as to my Church relations, German Reformed, and never 
expect to be anything else, unless I should live to see the 
day when the way will be prepared for a reunion with those 
from whom the German Reformed originally differed. But 
until then, I shall be German Reformed and nothing else ; 
and in heaven where all God's people are fully and visibly 
one, and under one visible head, I expect to glory in what 
God has wrought through and by means of the German 
Reformed Church." There is nothing inconsistent or un- 
charitable in a view of this kind. It is only maintaining 
ones "own things," without disparagement to "the things 
of others." 

The spirit or genius of a Church is enshrined in her doc- 
trines, discipline, customs and usuages, and in her history. 
Sometimes it manifests itself preeminently in one direction 
and sometimes in another. Thus the spirit of the German 
Reformed Church has at one time preeminently manifested 
itself in protesting against some particular errors, and at 
another time, in pleading for charity, concession and union. 
Her most distinguishing trait, however, is a conservative 
spirit. As a member of the Church, you should, therefore, 
conscientiously adhere to her doctrines, discipline, customs 
and usages. By doing so, you can eminently promote the 
glory of God. And by advancing the interests of your 
congregation, you will promote your own spiritual welfare. 
By making full proof of the means of sanctification, which 
your own Church affords, you may promote your own per- 
sonal advance in holiness as well and as fully as elsewhere. 



192 



WELFARE OF THE CHURCH. 



By attending faithfully to secret prayer, family worship, 
public worship, together with the meetings of the congre- 
gation for consultation, edification and prayer, and espe- 
cially to the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, your own 
spiritual wants will be abundantly supplied. But you 
should not forget, that by neglecting to carry out the doc- 
trines and observing the customs and usages of your Church, 
you open the floodgates of error, and stir up discord and 
dissension. The union, peace and harmony of the Church 
as a whole, and also of every congregation, depend upon 
preserving inviolate her distinctive character, as that is 
comprehended in her doctrines, customs and usages. If 
you do not sympathize with the Church to which you belong, 
you are inconsistent and unnatural in your position. In 
her, God, by his providence and grace, has called you to 
live and labor. Why then should you not sympathize with 
her ? Why should you not go forward cordially and promote 
her denominational interests ? There can be no valid ob- 
jection to this mode of doing good ; nor can there be any 
excuse for lukewarmness in this respect. 

6. An evil to be avoided in your intercourse with your 
brethren, and with all others, is a spirit of censoriousness. 
From the frequency of the indulgence of this spirit, it is 
one of the worst evils with which the Church and the world 
has ever been afflicted. In some congregations, it has been 
the source of very much evil. Those who are possessed of 
this unhappy fault-finding spirit are very keen-eyed to see 
the errors of their brethren. To their minds, there is al- 
ways something wrong about which to complain, and these 
wrong things are magnified, and thus made to appear great- 
er than they really are ; and instead of putting the most 
charitable construction upon the faults of others, they will 
represent them in the most heinous light possible. And 
what makes the case still worse, instead of informing the 



WELFARE OP THE CHURCH. 



193 



person himself of his fault or offence, and admonishing him 
in whom they have discovered something wrong, they will 
tell it to some one of their confidential friends, with the 
caution, that they do not wish it to go any farther, or to 
become known in the community, — they do not wish their 
friend to spread it abroad. He, however, again informs 
his friend in the same manner, and thus the matter goes 
from one to another until it is known to all. Immense mis- 
chief is done in this manner, and numerous disturbances 
raised in a congregation and community, which would be 
entirely prevented by obeying the law of Christ our Saviour : 
" Go and tell him his fault between him and thee alone : if 
he will hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother." 

" Speak evil of no man." Slander no one, and be no 
brawler, or busy body in other men's matters. A peacea- 
ble spirit will go far towards removing the asperities of hu- 
man life. The spirit of the gospel, it should be remember- 
ed, is, " Peace on earth and good will toward men." Speak 
evil of no one, unless justice to the truth, and the interests 
of religion should fully demand it. A congregation will not 
prosper, when its members speak evil of each other. And 
nothing will appear to do well in a neighborhood in which 
the neighbors censure, or decry each other. Avoid, there- 
fore, a censorious spirit, and if you cannot speak well of a 
person, rather be silent. There is a good deal of whole- 
some truth in the remark of the philosopher, who said : "I 
have often repented that I had spoken, but never that I re- 
mained silent." 

If you acquire the mastery over your own evil thoughts, 
feelings, and passions, you will have secured a most impor- 
tant end. Its attainment, therefore, should be the great 
object of your study, and efforts, and prayers. " He that 
ruleth his own spirit, is better than he that taketh a city." 
To conquer a censorious spirit, and to control vour language 
16* 



194 



WELFARE OF THE CHURCH. 



and direct your words aright, is no small accomplishment. 
To refrain from idle words, and to bridle your tongue, will 
require, as it well deserves, your serious consideration and 
most strenuous efforts. 

By forming for yourself as perfect a Christian character 
as you possibly can, you will be able the most effectually to 
promote the good of your congregation. And by succeed- 
ing in governing your thoughts and words, you will be able 
to succeed in other respects also; for the apostle says: "If 
any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and 
able also to bridle the whole body," James 3 : 2. Bring 
every thought into subjection and obedience to Christ, and 
endeavor to imbibe his spirit and follow his example. You 
will always have enough to do to correct your own faults, 
without becoming a complainer about the faults of others. 
At all events, " first cast the beam out of your own eye," 
correct your own faults, " and then will you see clearly to 
cast out the beam out of your brother's eye." First culti- 
vate your own garden, and then reprove your neighbor for 
neglecting his. It is an old, but not trite proverb, "Let 
every one sweep before his own door." 

The prophet jSTehemiah, in the rebuilding of the walls of 
Jerusalem, after the return of the Jews from captivity, di- 
rected the people in these words : " Let not the gates of 
Jerusalem be opened," &c, for fear of their enemies who 
came to trouble them, " and appoint watches of the inhabi- 
tants of Jerusalem, every one in his watch, and every one to 
be over against his house." " Every one to be over against 
his house !" So it should be in the Christian Church. Ev- 
ery one should watch the enemy in his own heart, or " over 
against his house." 

By following " peace with all men, and holiness, without 
which no man shall see the Lord," your influence for good 
will be felt now, and when you are dead, your memory will 



WELFARE OF THE CHURCH. 



195 



long remain in the congregation ; and though dead, you will 
yet speak by the example of your faith and zeal. What a 
holy and heavenly honor to be thus the instrument of doing 
good ! The glory of crowned heads and conquerors is as 
nothing compared with it. To have it said at your demise, 
" This man, or this woman was undoubtedly a Christian," 
will be a satisfaction to your friends, and a glory also be- 
stowed upon you from God, such as angels only can esti- 
mate. In view of it, " my mouth is open to you, my heart 
is enlarged." 

Much more might be said on the manner of promoting 
the welfare of Zion ; but I leave you to fill up the balance 
in your own mind, and to pursue that course, which may 
suggest itself to you as the best. My only desire is, that 
you may possess a spirit of consecration to the service of 
your divine master. May you live a righteous life, so that 
you may die a happy death. May you have a desire — a 
longing desire—to do good, to be useful while you live, to 
be entirely absorbed in contemplating, loving, adoring, and 
serving Jesus Christ your Saviour. May you adopt the 
language and realize the desire of the prophet, who said : 
" May I die the death of the righteous, and may my last 
end be like his." 

The following rules to promote harmony among the mem- 
bers of the Church, are here given on account of their ex- 
cellence : 

1. Remember that we are all subject to failings and in- 
firmities of some kind or other. 

2. Bear with, and do not magnify each other's infirmities, 
Gal. 5. 

3. Pray one for another in your social meetings, and 
particularly in private, James, 1:6. 

4. Avoid going from house to house for the purpose of 
hearing news, and interfering with other people's business. 



196 



WELFARE OF THE CHURCH. 



5. Always turn a deaf ear to any slanderous report, and 
give credence to no charge brought against any person, un- 
til it be well founded. 

6. If a member be in fault, tell him of it in private, be- 
fore it is mentioned to others. 

7. Watch against shyness of each other, and put the best 
construction on any action which has the appearance of op- 
position, or resentment. 

8. Observe the just rule of Solomon, " Leave off conten- 
tion before it be meddled with," Prov. 17 : 14. 

9. If a member has offended, consider how glorious, how 
God-like it is to forgive, and how unlike a Christian it is to 
seek revenge, Eph. 4 : 2. 

10. Lastly, consider the express injunctions of Scripture, 
and the beautiful example of Christ, Eph. 4 : 82 : 1 Peter 
2 : 21 ; John 13 : 5. 



A PRATER, FOR ONE WHO ACKNOWLEDGES THE AUTHORITY OF THE 
CHURCH IN RESPECT TO DISCIPLINE, AND W T HO WISHES TO PRO- 
MOTE HER WELFARE. 

Lord, thou hast established the Church on the immutable 
foundation of Christ, who is the rock of ages, the same yesterday, 
to day and forever. I acknowledge his presence and power in the 
Church, through the medium of the preached word and the exer- 
cise of discipline. may I not set at naught the Church, and so 
set at naught my Cod and Saviour. But may I be deeply sensible, 
how sinful it is, to reject the admonitions of the Church, and the 
teachings of thy word and providence. "Thy law, Lord, is 
perfect, converting the soul : thy testimony is sure, making wise 
the simple : thy statutes are right, rejoicing the heart : thy com- 
mandment is pure, enlightening the eyes : thy fear is clean, endu- 
ring forever : thy judgments are true and righteous altogether: 



WELFARE OP THE CHURCH. 



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more to be desired are they than gold, yea than much fine 
gold : sweeter also than honey and the honey-comb. Moreover by 
them is thy servant warned, and in keeping of them, there is great 
reward. Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins ; 
let them not have dominion over me : then shall I be upright, and 
I shall be innocent from the great transgression. Let the words 
of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy 
sight, Lord, my strength, and my redeemer." 

O Lord, grant me thy Holy Spirit. May I live in the Spirit. 
May I abide in the element of thy word and Spirit. Lord ! 
take possession of my heart and rule within me and thereby ban- 
ish unholy thoughts and feelings. I fear, I fear, Lord ! I fear 
to be left to myself, and to become the prey of my evil passions 
and of temptations. that I might be wholly absorbed in loving, 
adoring, serving and praising thee. Help me, (rod ! I fall into 
thine arms; fori feel my weakness. Lift me up, Grod, and 
strengthen me. " Uphold me with thy free Spirit, then will I 
teach transgressors thy ways, and sinners shall be converted unto 
thee." that thou wouldst rule in me, and make me pure as thou 
art pure : and do thou also bring all men to submit to the blessed 
reign of Jesus. "Now unto him that is able to do exceeding 
abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the pow- 
er that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the Church, by Christ 
Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen/' 



CHAPTER XIX. 



THE CHURCH-MEMBER'S RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE ; DANGER OF 
DECLENSION ; THE STEPS OF DECLENSION POINTED OUT. 

" Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation." 
"Let Mm that standeth, take heed lest he fall:' 
It is desirable, that, as a believer in the revelation which 
God has given of his Son in the Church, you should know 
no abatement of love to his cause, and no cessation of zeal 
for the honor and glory of God. But notwithstanding the 
desirableness of retaining the fervor of first love, you will 
probably find ere you expected it, a listlessness and inat- 
tention toward the objects of faith and the duties incumbent 
upon you, taking possession of your mind. I will, there- 
fore, follow you through several stages of religious experi- 
ence, and endeavor to point out your danger, and prevent, 
if possible, your falling under the power of temptation and 
the weakness of the flesh. 

Your very zeal and activity in the cause of religion may 
lead to a declension of piety. In the performance of the 
outward and more general public duties in the congregation 
and in the family, you may come to neglect by degrees 
more and more the cultivation of the inward man— the 
heart— whence are the issues of life, and you may lose those 
motives to disinterested benevolence, as well as that humil- 
ity which should ever characterize the child of God. Your 
left hand may, as it were, begin to calculate what your right 
hand is doing. You may begin to compromise the rigid 
purity of God's law, and exchange the holy motives of the 
gospel for motives of expediency. You may abridge the 



RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE. 



199 



rigid austerity of a heavenly discipline, and in the pur- 
suit of the great and glorious ends of revealed religion, sub- 
stitute for the divinely appointed means, those of your own 
devising, and endeavor to accomplish by a shorter route, and 
in a way more congenial to the carnal mind what can only 
be obtained by that covenant which is " well ordered in all 
things and sure." 

Humility of mind may give place to pride and ambition. 
You may begin to admire your previous humility and thus 
destroy it. You may desire to be useful from motives of 
self-complacency. You may wish the honors of holiness, 
rather than holiness itself. You may desire heaven, rather 
than holiness in connection with it, and holiness for its own 
sake. 

True, not every abatement of progress is an evidence of 
the diminution of love and zeal, and of the power of the 
inward life of faith ; just as eddies in a stream of water are 
no evidence of the stream's ceasing to flow. The stream of 
the soul's inward life may still be flowing and pressing 011= 
ward, notwithstanding the hindrances and obstructions in 
its way. Though there may be little outward appearance 
of progress, the soul may be gathering momentum to break 
over its barriers and proceed on its heaven-ward course. 
The Christian hero may be hindered, in his race, by mani- 
fold temptations ; but his soul is still eagerly pressing to- 
ward the goal, for the prize of his high calling. It is not 
the cessation of high-wrought feelings that constitutes, of 
itself, a declension in religion. Emotions are evanescent. 
High emotions are produced only on extraordinary occa- 
sions. In the beginning of the Christian life they are great- 
er than afterward, owing to novelty. The young child is 
more moved by his feelings than the aged sire. Keligion 
consists chiefly "in the resolution of the will for God," and 
in a careful avoiding of sin, and a conscientious perform 



200 



RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE. 



ance of duty, looking to the motives by which we are actu- 
ated, and humbling ourselves before God in deep humility, 
exercising daily repentance toward him and faith toward the 
Lord Jesus Christ, and realizing thus the soul-satisfying 
influence of self-abasement, being assured that in due time 
we shall be exalted. 

That declension of which we speak consists chiefly in " a 
forge tfulness of divine objects, and a remissness in those 
various duties to which we stand engaged by that solemn 
•surrender which we have made of ourselves to God." To the 
danger of this lukewarmness you stand constantly exposed. 
It will, therefore, be proper to notice some of the symptoms 
of this state; and " so much the more, because these de- 
clensions are often unobserved by those who are the sub- 
jects of them, like the gray hairs which were upon Ephraim, 
when he knew it not." 

1. Spiritual mindedness cannot be maintained in fresh- 
ness and vigor without daily, deep meditation, and heartfelt 
prayer, and direct communion with God. It is this direct 
communion with God which is implied in secret prayer. 
The first thing, therefore, in which spiritual decay will 
manifest itself, will be in the neglect of the duties of the 
closet. You may still keep up the practice of secret prayer 
in form, but you will have lost much of its power, and in- 
stead of that solemn awe and reverence which formerly fill- 
ed your soul in your approaches to the throne of grace, you 
will feel but little impression in the act, from the awful and 
good Being into whose presence you come. Instead of hav- 
ing direct communion with him, as a being who really exists 
and is the rewarder of all that diligently seek him, you will 
searcely realize that you are addressing the high and holy 
Being who inhabits eternity. 

In consequence of neglecting meditation and the exam- 
ining of your motives and thoughts, and ceasing to consider 



DANGER OP DECLENSION. 



201 



the claims of God's law and the necessity of divine aid to 
help you to obey the precepts of Jehovah, so as not to be a 
stumbling block in the way of the progress of the religion 
of Jesus Christ, and the advancement of the dearest inter- 
ests of immortal souls, you will not have those deep search- 
ings of heart which you were wont to have in these secret 
exercises, nor those wrestling supplications to offer, as of 
one who feels as though he cannot be denied his requests, 
and whose spiritual favors are dearer to him than life itself, 
which you were accustomed to offer in the beginning of your 
Christian course. The multiplicity of your engagements, 
which before did not damp your ardor in prayer, will now 
so fill your mind as to leave you little or no time, nor heart 
to engage in this duty. Your waking thoughts in the morn- 
ing, which before were of God and heavenly things, will 
now be of the world and worldly enjoyments. The sweet 
thoughts of Deity in your opening waking mind will be ex- 
changed for thoughts of worldly good. Once your dreams 
were of "glory in the Church by Christ Jesus," and of God 
in providence and creation, and of glory in heaven ; and 
you could say with the Psalmist : " How precious also are 
thy thoughts unto me, God ! How great is the sum of 
them ! When I awake I am still with thee." But now, 
they are of houses and lands, or of lascivious objects and 
visions of earthly grandeur and earthly pleasure. There is 
no beauty in Christ, comparatively speaking, that you should 
desire him. " To live," will not appear to you to be Christ, 
neither will death appear to you to be gain. Blasphemous 
thoughts will arise in your mind, and you will say in your 
heart, if not with your lips : " What profit shall we have 
if we pray unto him ?" " What profit is it, that we have 
kept his ordinances, and that we have walked mournfully 
before the Lord of hosts ?" 

2. At first, this declining state of piety in you will not 



202 



KELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE. 



be observed either by yourself or by others ; but, ere long 
the effect may be seen in a diminution of zeal, and of sym- 
pathy in the cause of your Master. At least, it may be 
seen by your brethren and associates, though unobserved 
by yourself. For, although men are tardy in noticing that 
which is good, and rendering to every one his due propor- 
tion of respect and consideration, they are quick in observ- 
ing the sympathies of others toward themselves and toward 
God. Where the fire of a religious love has once been en- 
kindled in the heart, the declension of it will be seen in the 
public acts, sooner or later. 

There is a spirit in man. which is very susceptible of im- 
pressions. Hence it is said : " As in water face answereth 
to face, so the heart of man to man." And as iron sharp- 
ened iron, so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his 
friend." Sympathy speaks from the eye, the countenance, 
the gestures, the manners, and the little trivial actions of 
men, as well as from words spoken with the lips. 

3. If now your spiritual disease is not checked in its first 
symptoms, it will extend itself further, and be noticed in 
the more public walks of life. Not to speak of the family, 
your behavior in the congregation will be changed. Instead 
of that devout attention and serious manner which was seen 
in you at first, a carelessness and inattention may be ob- 
served. The love of God and his truth having become luke- 
warm, the conduct in the house of God will become affected 
in a manner corresponding with the sentiments of the heart. 
Being no longer sensibly impressed with your responsibility 
which is expressed by the Apostle, when he says, " Keep 
yourselves in the love of God," you will manifest your cold- 
ness when his truth is proclaimed, and when you address 
him in prayer, as also when you are called upon to " con- 
tribute to the necessities of the saints," and to the advance- 
ment of the benevolent operations of the Church. 



DANGER OF DECLENSION. 



203 



4. The love of God and divine things having abated, the 
next symptom of your spiritual decay will appear in a loss 
of affection for the brethren. You will no more feel an 
overflowing desire to benefit them, to promote their spirit- 
ual and temporal welfare. Instead of that charity which 
covers a multitude of sins, you will possess a sensitiveness 
which will take offence at the veriest trifle. 

5. Having thus hedged up the way against the attrac- 
tions of the cross, the next steps in the backward course, 
will be an occasional absence, — making allowance for una- 
voidable circumstances, — from that place which formerly 
found you such a punctual hearer of the word of God. 

6. This is already going far in the downward progress, 
and it may well give you cause of serious alarm, and put 
you upon the inquiry whether you did not begin too much 
under the impulse of feeling and animal excitement, and from 
selfish motives, rather than from calm reflection and a set- 
tled purpose to serve God, after a serious study of his word 
and the plan of salvation. 

7. On the other hand, although you may have soberly 
and deliberately chosen the service of God, after a full con- 
sideration of your responsibilities, not being subject to the 
extremes of one who is more moved by his feelings, than by 
his understanding and judgment, your case may agree in 
the main with the one above described, and if not arrested 
in your course by a prompt and speedy retracing of your 
steps, you will become more and more worldly minded. 
Material interests, like a canker, will eat out the heart of 
your piety. There are so many allurements in the wealth, 
the honors, and enjoyments of the world, that you are con- 
stantly exposed to this danger ; especially if you have al- 
ready let down the ardor of your zeal for spiritual things. 
Your love for the Church having abated, your love for the 
world will increase. There is a constant liability to lose the 



204 



RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE. 



appreciation of spiritual blessings, the moment we cease to 
contemplate them ; and, at the same time, there is a con- 
stant tendency toward an inordinate affection for the good 
things of this world. If this latter is not the first cause of 
your decline in religion, it will, at least, be found to operate 
powerfully in the last stages of religious declension. 

Instead of " walking in the comfort of the Holy Ghost," 
and giving the pre-eminence to those things which pertain 
to the kingdom of God, you will devote the greater part of 
your time, talents, thoughts, and affections to material in- 
terests, and to the gratification of the flesh. In this state 
of mind, the pleasures of frivolous company, and of idle, 
worldly conversation, will be preferred to communion with 
God at "the hour of prayer." The mind will be preoccu- 
pied with thoughts of these associations, more or less day 
and night. Schemes and efforts for the acquisition of wealth 
will so occupy your mind, that you will devote little or no 
time to religious devotions, and to the cultivation of religious 
knowledge. Religious books, together with the Bible, will 
lose their attractiveness and interest. You will no more 
study religious subjects and doctrines with the love of one 
who is interested in them. 

8. And what makes the case still worse, is the fact, that 
this disordered state of mind may lead you into a prejudice 
against strictness in religion, and this prejudice will prevent 
a conviction of sin, which is necessary as the first step in 
your recovery, and the first means for your restoration. 
" Your great enemy may so far succeed in his attempts 
against you, as to persuade you that you have lost nothing 
in religion, when you have lost almost all. He may verv 
probably lead you to conclude that your former devotional 
frames were mere fits of enthusiasm, and that the holy reg- 
ularity of your walk before God was an unnecessary strict- 
ness and scrupulosity." Nay more, you may imagine it an 



DANGER OF DECLENSION. 



205 



improvement of the understanding to have imbibed more 
liberal sentiments in regard to doctrine and discipline, and 
suppose, that, to treat your neighbor with humanity and 
good nature, without reproving sin upon him, — unless it be 
the sin of overmuch strictness — or making direct efforts for 
his spiritual and temporal welfare, must constitute a right- 
eous person, while, at the same time, "he pretends not to 
converse much with God, provided he only think respect- 
fully of him, and do not provoke him by any gross immor- 
alities." 

9. If now you take into consideration the fact, that, in 
this state of mind, you stand " on the confines of gross 
apostacy into deliberate and presumptuous sin," you may 
well be alarmed for your soul. And here I may put the 
question to you : What will become of you, if you do not 
recover yourself from these snares of Satan ? You will go 
on in the downward course until you not only stand in the 
way of sinners, but sit in the seat of the scornful, and finally 
be of the number of those who shall not stand in the judg- 
ment of the great day, nor in the congregation of the right- 
eous in heaven. 

10. But I hope better things of you, and, therefore, ex- 
hort you to use the means for securing your safety immedi- 
ately. Let nothing prevent you from considering thorough- 
ly and fully your danger, and the way of escape. " Give 
diligence to make your calling and election sure." 

Think first, of your union with Christ. This is intimate 
and real, if you have been truly converted. It is repre- 
sented under the figure of a branch and the vine. " I am 
the vine," says the Saviour, "and ye are the branches : he 
that abideth in me and I in him, the same bringeth forth 
much fruit ; for without me ye can do nothing." Christ is 
present with you for the very purpose of carrying on the 
work of your salvation. You should, therefore, feel the 
IT* 



206 



RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE. 



horrible nature of the sin of grieving his majesty, grace and 
Spirit. Is Christ in you to work in you to will and to do 
of his good pleasure, and to transform you into his own 
likeness ; and shall you suffer sin to reign in your mortal 
body and obey the lusts of the flesh ? Think of the fact, 
that Christ and the Holy Spirit are prompting you to heav- 
enly mindedness, and shall you resist these influences, and 
grieve the Holy Spirit, wound your Saviour and dishonor 
your Heavenly Father. The Father is present with you in 
the works of creation and providence, and in the gift of his 
Son, and the institutions of religion, governing and control- 
ing all in mercy and love toward you. " The love of the 
Father " is with you. Christ is with you and in you the 
power of a new and endless life. The Holy Spirit is pres- 
ent to lead you to Christ, to testify of Christ, and to be the 
influencing power and the element in which Christ as your 
life may have free course and be glorified. " The grace of 
our Lord Jesus Christ, and the fellowship of the Holy Spir- 
it " are with you. 

If you have been truly converted, it is -believed that you 
will not be at ease in sin and in lukewarmness. You will 
not forsake Christ, neither will Christ forsake you. This 
the Saviour intimates in the parable of the sower. The 
way-side hearer never receives the seed truly in his heart. 
"He understandeth it not." The stony-ground hearer re- 
ceives the word with joy, but having " no root in himself " 
he endures only a little while. He who receives the seed 
among thorns has it choked by the cares of this world and 
the deceitfulness of riches. But he who receives the word 
into an open heart — a heart of faith — receives it into good 
ground, and understands it and brings forth fruit. 

The best evidence of a true Christian is a constant anxie- 
ty to do the will of God, and to press forward in a life of 
piety. It is this which is the proof of your conversion at 



DANGER OF DECLENSION. 



207 



the beginning ; and whenever the want of this is discovered, 
you may well be alarmed lest you were never truly convert- 
ed. The consciousness of a union with Christ can only be 
enjoyed through faith, and faith is prompted by the Holy 
Spirit, whilst on the part of him who believes it is a yielding 
to that influence and a taking hold of the objects of faith— 
that is, of the things which are revealed and promised in 
the gospel. This union with the Godhead implies direct 
communion with God in prayer, and a life corresponding 
with the nature and design of such communion. It is only 
when you live a life of sincere prayer, that you are truly 
sensible of the reason why you are a Christian. It is this 
which will give you the witness in yourself and the reason 
of the hope which is in you. 

11. Hence you should repair immediately to the forsaken 
altar of prayer, and in secret places before God confess 
your sins. Let the closet, that place which first witnessed 
your turning to God, as a member of his Church, witness 
the return of a backsliding child in humble penitence, be- 
wailing his sins. Consider your sins and particularize them. 
Especially view them as dishonorable to God in the sight of 
men, and of angels who have seen them, and who, instead 
of beholding the fruits of holiness, have beheld you serving 
sin and Satan, and thus virtually erasing your name from 
the list of the pious, and declaring your place among the 
righteous forfeited by your transgressions. the dreadful 
condition of a soul, without a rightful place among the 
Churches of the saints. Consider it well in secret before 
God. 

12. Take the time also to read and study the Scriptures. 
Abstract yourself from the cares of the world to such an 
extent, that you shall be able to read deyotionally a portion 
of the word of God statedly, and to give deep attention to 
what you read. Thus conviction will flash upon your mind, 



208 



RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE. 



and your understanding will be enlightened, when otherwise 
it might remain in darkness. 

13. And with all this, go to the sacramental altar, and 
there renew your vows and your strength to perform them 
in the use of the elements of bread and wine in the Lord's 
Supper, showing forth your Lord's death with an affection- 
ate remembrance, and feasting on the heavenly manna, and 
becoming more and more closely united to the glorified body 
of Jesus in heaven through faith of the operation of God. 

14. I would only add, in the language of another, " that 
it is necessary to take these precautions as soon as possible, 
or you will probably find a much swifter progress than you 
are aware in the downhill road ; and you may possibly be 
left of God, to fall into some gross and aggravated sin, so 
as to fill your conscience with an agony and horror which 
the pain of ' broken bones ' can but imperfectly express." 



A PRAYER FOR ONE UNDER SPIRITUAL DECAY. 

[Doddridge.~\ 

Eternal and unchangeable Jehovah ! thy perfection and glories 
are, like thy being, immutable. Jesus thy Son, is the same yes- 
terday, to-day and forever. The eternal world, to which I am 
hastening, is always equally important, and presses upon the at- 
tentive mind for a more fixed and solemn regard, in proportion to 
the degree in which it comes nearer and nearer. But alas ! my 
views and my affections, and my best resolutions are continually 
varying, like this poor body, which goes through daily and hour- 
ly alterations in its state and circumstances. Whence, Lord ! 
whence this sad change which I now experience in the frame and 
temper of my mind toward thee ? Whence this alienation of my 
soul from thee ? Why can I not come to thee with all the en- 
dearments of filial love, as I once could ? Why is thy service so 
remissly attended, if attended at all ? And why are the exercises 



DANGER OF DECLENSION. 



209 



of it, which were once my greatest pleasure, become a burden to 
me ? Where, God ! is the blessedness I once spake of, when 
my joy in thee as my heavenly Father was so conspicuous that 
strangers might have observed it, and when my heart did so over- 
flow with love to thee, and with zeal for thy service, that it was 
matter of self denial to me to limit and restrain the genuine ex- 
pressions of those strong emotions of my soul, even where prudence 
and duty required it ? 

Alas, Lord ! whither am I fallen ? Thine eye sees me still j but, 
oh ! how unlike what it once saw me ! Cold and insensible as I 
am, T must blush on the reflection. Thou seest me in secret, and 
seest me perhaps often amusing myself with trifles, in those seasons 
which I used solemnly to devote to thine immediate service. Thou 
seest me coming into thy presence as by constraint • and when I 
am before thee so straitened in my spirit, that I hardly know 
what to say to thee, though thou art the God with whom I have 
to do ; and though the keeping up a humble and dutiful corres- 
pondence with thee, is beyond all comparison, the most important 
business of my life. And even when I am speaking to thee, with 
how much coldness and formality is it ! It is perhaps the work of 
imagination, the labor of the lips ; but where are those ardent de- 
sires, those intense breathings after God, which I once felt ? Where 
is that pleasing repose in thee, which I was once conscious of, as 
being near my divine rest, as being happy in that nearness, and 
resolving that, if possible, 1 would no more be removed from it ? 
But, oh ! how far am I removed? When these short devotions, 
if they may be called devotions, are over, in what long intervals 
do I forget thee, and appear so little animated by thy love, so little 
devoted to thy service, that a stranger might converse with me a 
considerable time, without knowing that I had ever formed any ac- 
quaintance with thee, without discovering that I had so much as 
known or heard anything of God ? Thou callest me to thine house, 
Lord ! on thine own day ; but how heartless are my services there! 
J present thee no more than my body ; my thoughts and affections 
are engrossed with other objects, while I draw near thee with my 
mouth, and honor thee with my lips. Thou callest me to thy ta- 
ble ; but my heart is so frozen that it hardly melts even at the foot 



210 



RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE. 



of the cross, hardly feels any efficacy in the blood of Jesus. 
wretched creature that I am ! Unworthy of being called thine ! 
Unworthy of a place among thy children, or of the meanest situa- 
tion in thy family j rather worthy to be cast out, to be forsaken, 
yea, to be utterly destroyed ! 

Is this, Lord, the service which I once promised, and which 
thou hast so many thousand reasons to expect ? Are these the 
returns I am making for thy daily providential care, for the sacri- 
fice of thy Son, for the communications of the Spirit, for the par- 
don of my numberless aggravated sins, for the hopes, the uncle- 
served and so often forfeited hopes of eternal glory ? 

Lord, I am ashamed to stand or kneel before thee. But pity 
me, I beseech thee, for I am a pitiable object indeed, my soul 
cleaveth unto the dust, and lays itself as in the dust before thee, 
but, quicken me according to thy word. Let me trifle no long- 
er, for I am upon the brink of a precipice ! I am thinking of my 
ways. give me grace to turn my feet unto thy testimonies, to 
make haste without any farther delay, that I may keep thy com- 
mandments ! Search me, Lord ! and try me. Go to the first 
root of this distemper, which spreads itself over my soul, and re- 
cover me from it ! Represent sin unto me, Lord ! I beseech 
thee, that I may see it with abhorrence ! and represent the Lord 
Jesus Christ to me in such a light, that I may look upon him 
and mourn, that I may look on him and love ! May I awaken 
from this stupid lethargy into which I am sinking, and may Christ 
give me more abundant degrees of spiritual life and activity than 
I have ever yet received ! and may I be so quickened and animated 
by him, that I may make a more speedy and exemplary progress 
than in my best days I have ever yet done ! Send down upon 
me, Lord ! in a more rich and abundant effusion, thy good 
Spirit. May he dwell in me as a temple which he has consecrated 
to himself ! and while all the service is directed and governed by 
him, may holy and acceptable sacrifices be continually offered ! 
May the increase be constant, and may it be fragrant ! May the 
sacred fire burn and blaze perpetually ! And may none of its 
vessels be profaned, by being employed for an unholy or forbid- 
den use ! Amen. 



CHAPTER XX. 



THE CHURCH-MEMBER FALLING INTO OPEN SIN ; THE MEANS 
OF RECOVERY POINTED OUT. 



" And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on 
the name of the Lord shall he saved." Acts 2 : 21. 
Happy would it be for you, were you not to know any worse 
state than that described in the last chapter. But, alas, it 
is possible to become even more deeply wounded in spirit, 
and more entirely diseased in soul, than you are willing now 
to believe, or than you have, as yet experienced. You will, 
perhaps, hope for a recovery, and anxiously desire better 
days of spiritual experience at some time in the future, and 
make some feeble efforts to accomplish your desire. Your 
soul may still fall into a deeper and still deeper lethargy, 
and your conscience into a more profound slumber than 
ever, in spite of all your feeble efforts. In consequence of 
this lukewarmness which creeps over your spirit, like a chill 
over the body, you may finally fall into the commission of 
acts of wickedness, which you now regard with the deepest 
abhorrence. You may now, with the heroic spirit of a mar- 
tyr, think it better for you to die than to be guilty of cer- 
tain crimes against the Lord. Peter thought so too. 
" Though I should die with thee," said he " yet will I not 
deny thee," and yet he fell into that very sin, of which he 
was so confident that he was in no danger. "While you may, 
therefore, be endeavoring to keep within the bounds of pro- 
priety and Christian duty, and hoping for a better future, 
and even at times be zealous for religion and religious doc- 
trines, before you are aware of danger, you may commit an 



212 



PALLING INTO OPEN SIN. 



open and deliberate sin. " Let him that standeth, take 
heed lest he fall." Your only safety is in a wakeful atten- 
tion and in the help of the Lord. You should double your 
diligence, and cast yourself on your knees in secret prayer, 
and, with a mighty effort, surrender yourself to the guidance 
of the Saviour. But 0, if you do fall, and like Peter, bring 
reproach upon Christ and his cause, how deep will be your 
wounds, and how quickly will your comforts dry up, and 
leave you the bitterness of reflection and the griefs of remorse ? 
If you fall only once into a disciplinable offence, your sor- 
rows will be many. But, ! the very contemplation of the 
weakened moral power it will bring with it, and of the sub- 
sequent offences to which it may lead, will be enough to 
sicken the heart, and will multiply your sorrows exceed- 
ingly. 

And to aggravate the miseries of your calamity, God 
may, for a while, hide his face from you. Your sins will 
cause him to turn away from you, and withhold the com- 
forts of the Spirit. Your sins, so long continued and mul- 
tiplied, are the cause of your distress. "Your iniquities," 
says the prophet to the Jews, " have separated between you 
and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you." 
The meaning of the expression, "hiding of God's face," 
may be more fully understood by the opposite phrase of 
God's " causing his face to shine upon a person, or lifting 
up upon him the light of his countenance." In this, there 
seems to be an allusion to the pleasant and delightful ap- 
pearance of the face of a friend, when he beholds or con- 
verses with one whom he loves and in whom he delights. 
Thus Job's friends conversed with him. Speaking of their 
regard for him, he says, " If I smiled upon them, they be- 
lieved it not, and the light of my countenance they cast not 
down ;" that is, they were careful to do nothing to displease 
me, or to cloud my brow. And David desiring the mani- 



FALLING INTO OPEN SIN. 



213 



festation of God's favors, says, " Lord, lift thou up the light 
of thy countenance upon me," having allusion, probably, to 
the bright light of the Shekina in the temple on some pub- 
lic occasions, which was both a sign and an evidence of the 
divine presence and favor. Hence for God to " hide his 
face," implies the withholding of his favors and is a mark of 
his displeasure. " Thou hast hid thy face from us," as a 
friend turns toward us the cold shoulder, " and hast con- 
sumed us, because of our iniquities." Such is the meaning 
of the phrase, "hiding of God's face." It is used by Chris- 
tians to denote the divine displeasure. 

To make the gloom still greater, bodily affliction and 
worldly cares and troubles may come in to fill up the cup 
of your sorrows. An open heart before the Lord, and the 
light of his countenance beaming upon the soul, with the 
communications of his grace at the time of prayer, may 
lighten afflictions, and worldly cares, and even sweeten 
them. But, as sin has obscured the attributes of the Deity 
from your moral sight, and your mental vision has become 
dim by reason of transgression, these things are an intoler- 
able load upon your soul. Afflictions and troubles at any 
time, may produce a melancholy spirit, and even make it 
appear as though God had withdrawn the light of his coun- 
tenance when he has not. If, however, to this, a course of 
deliberate sinning is added, they will produce the most dire- 
ful consequences, ending, perhaps, as in the case of Job, in 
murmurings against God, and dishonoring his holy name. 

It is expected, that you will have your dark days. But 
dark indeed will be the day when you resolve to sin against 
God, and to set at naught his warnings. " It is enough to 
wound one's heart to think how yours will be wounded ; how 
all your comforts, and evidences and hopes will be clouded; 
what thick darkness will spread itself on every side ; so that 
neither sun, moon, nor stars will appear in your heaven. 
18 



214 



FALLING INTO OPEN SIN. 



Your spiritual consolations will be gone, and your temporal 
enjoyments will be rendered tasteless and insipid. And if 
afflictions be sent, as probably they may, in order to reclaim 
you, a consciousness of guilt will sharpen and envenom the 
dart. Then will the enemy of your soul, with all his art 
and power, rise up against you, encouraged by your fall, 
and laboring to trample you down in utter hopeless ruin. 
He will persuade you, that you are already undone, beyond 
recovery. He will suggest, that it signifies nothing to at- 
tempt it any more ; for that every effort, every amendment, 
every act of repentance, will but make your case so much 
the worse, and plunge you lower and lower into hell. Do 
not, however, yield to his suggestions. Your case is deplo- 
rable indeed. But to rest in your present condition, and 
to become careless, would be to yield yourself, bound hand 
and foot, a prisoner to Satan. 

Though you may have sinned greatly before God and the 
world, and your sin has become known to the community, 
and this fact been reported to you ; yet, blessed be God, 
your case is not altogether hopeless. Your " wounds are 
corrupt because of your foolishness but they are not in- 
curable. In your depths of wo, you may be assured that 
" there is a balm in Gilead, and that there is a physician 
there." Out of the depths of your miseries, therefore, cry 
unto the Lord, as David did, when he had sinned, and said: 
" Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, Lord." God 
is indeed just, and cannot do otherwise than frown upon 
your sins. But he is also merciful, and will forgive the 
penitent and believing soul who thus fears to fall into sin 
again, and to incur the Lord's displeasure. With the 
Psalmist such an one can say : " But there is forgiveness with 
thee, that thou mayest be feared." Arise, therefore, from 
your melancholy and deplorable condition, and call on the 
name of the Lord. Let it, however, be done immediately. 



FALLING INTO OPEN SIN. 



215 



Procrastination will harden the heart, and bring about a 
coldness and indifference to your spiritual interests, and 
consequently make it more and more difficult for you to re- 
turn. Think not you will add one other sin to your list and 
then repent ; but immediately unbosom your heart before 
God ; fall down before him in secret prayer, and think of 
every sin and every aggravating circumstance which height- 
ens your guilt, and confess all with genuine sorrow. Turn 
your very eye upon your sins, and upon your heart, and 
consider the evil desires, inclinations, thoughts and feelings 
you have cherished which a holy God disapproves, and 
which have led to your outward acts of transgression. 

The earnest and wrestling prayer of a true penitent will 
be heard. If you will reflect upon your condition, look at 
your sins and your peril, and pray for the teaching of God's 
Spirit, you will obtain an earnest and believing heart. Make 
haste to escape from the danger of falling yet deeper into 
sin. " Escape as for thy life," and "give not sleep to your 
eyes, nor slumber to your eyelids," until you have earnest- 
ly sought a reconciliation with God, and obtained the con- 
scious indwelling of the Holy Comforter. " Lie not down 
upon your bed under unpardoned guilt, lest evil overtake 
you; lest the sword of divine justice shall smite you, and 
while you purpose to return to-morrow, you should this 
night go and take possession of hell." 

Moreover, if your sin involve your neighbor, or a fellow 
church-member, go to him immediately, on the first oppor- 
tunity, and make confession and ask pardon of God and of 
your neighbor for your faults, according to the direction of 
the Saviour : " If thou bring thy gift before the altar and 
there rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee; 
leave there thy gift before the altar ; first go and be recon- 
ciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift." 
Do not continue to engage in prayer and worship, without 



216 



FALLING INTO OPEN SIN. 



endeavoring to become reconciled to those who are offended 
with you. To bear malice toward any one with whom you 
are associated in a church relationship, will aggravate your 
sins greatly, and break the bond of charity, and land you 
in the lowest depths of religious declension. To refuse 
obstinately and maliciously to confess your fault to him, 
whom you have wronged in any way, will obscure the light 
of God's countenance from your view, and drive you farther 
and farther from his presence. It is in the region of hell 
that men are " hateful and hating one another." Suffer 
not, therefore, the gangrene of malice to continue, but en- 
endeavor, as far as you are concerned, to remove it imme- 
diately, in order that brotherly love may continue. 

Or, if you have incurred the censure of the Church, give 
heed to her admonitions with a penitent and submissive 
heart. A broken heart God will not despise. To this man 
will he look, even to him who is of a poor and contrite spir- 
it, and trembles at his word. The proud he knows afar off; 
he keeps them at a distance ; but the humble and penitent 
he receives to his bosom. Do not refuse to humble your- 
self to the condition of a penitent, because your standing 
in society may be above the common condition ; and because 
the officers of the church may be your inferiors in some re- 
spect. If you are really guilty suffer not a moment to pas3 
in hesitancy. Like the prodigal son, resolve to return im- 
mediately. Do not endeavor to save appearances and avoid 
the mortification of a humiliation before the church. The 
mortifying pain, occasioned by the knowledge which the 
public and the congregation have of your sin, is intended, 
under God, to be an excellent medicine for the restoration 
of your spiritual health. If, however, you excuse yourself 
and avoid appearing as a penitent pleading for pardon, and 
acknowledging your guilt before the officers of the church, 
this remedy of discipline, which is ordained of God for the 



FALLING INTO OPEN SIN. 



217 



cure of sin, will be useless to you. Be wise, therefore, and 
be wise in time. " He that covereth his sins shall not pros- 
per; but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them, shall have 
mercy." Make confession, therefore, and let it be done 
as promptly as possible. The day of mercy may otherwise 
close, and the things which belong to your peace be forev- 
er hid from your eyes, as they were from Achan, the troub- 
ler of Israel. 

Confess your fault without delay. Fully and frankly 
open your mind, and entreat pardon from those whom you 
have offended. In the presence of your reconciling friends 
— the consistory of the congregation-—" confess your faults 
one to another, and pray one for the other, that ye may be 
healed." Then, and not till then, will you be in the way 
to peace. Not by palliating a fault, not by making vain 
excuses, not by objecting to the manner in which others 
may have treated you, and not by becoming offended with 
the severe reproofs and faithful admonitions of any, can 
you obtain peace of conscience. Such sensibility is not 
from the divine Spirit ; but is rather the product of the 
remains of the carnal mind, of pride and self-love. The 
wisdom which is from above will rather prompt you to glo- 
rify God, by submitting to deserved blame ; and will lead 
you to fear deceiving others into a more favorable opinion 
of yourself than you inwardly know you deserve. 

" These are the sentiments which God gives to the sin- 
cere penitent." An enlightened reason, a tender conscience, 
and an honest heart, for which the true church-member is 
distinguished, will restore him to credit and regard among 
others. " There is something so honorable in the frank 
acknowledgment of a fault, and in deep humiliation for it, 
that all who see it must needs approve it." This is illus- 
trated in the following example taken from among the prim- 
itive Christians :* 



* Caleman's Antiquities, 



18* 



218 



FALLING INTO OPEN SIN. 



"The emperor, Theodosins, who flourished about the 
year 370, was a prince whose character was adorned with 
many virtues, and who added to the many other excellent 
qualities that distinguished him, a firm and sincere attach- 
ment to the gospel of Christ. As the best of men, howev- 
er, have their besetting sins, and their inherent faults, Theo- 
dosius inherited the infirmity of a keen and impetuous tem- 
per, which, on several occasions, hurried him to the incon- 
siderate adoption of measures which he afterwards found 
cause bitterly to lament. The most memorable of these 
occasions was the affair of Thessalonica. In that city of 
Macedonia, some enactments of the emperor had given so 
great and universal dissatisfaction to the inhabitants, that 
they assembled in an uproar, threatening to set the impe- 
rial orders at defiance, and sufficiently indicating their de- 
termined spirit of resistance by an attack upon the garri- 
son, which was signalized by the massacre of the command- 
ing officer, and several of the soldiery. 

The intelligence of this untoward event so incensed The- 
odosius, that he forthwith issued his mandate for reducing 
the whole city to ashes ; and the bloody edict would have 
been carried into prompt execution by the military, who 
participated in the feelings of their monarch, and breathed 
revenge for the loss of their slaughtered comrades, had not 
some Christian bishops, by their powerful and importunate 
intercessions, prevailed on the emperor reluctantly to recal 
his orders. The prime minister, however, was implacable, 
and by his incessant representations to his imperial master, 
that so ill-timed clemency would produce the greatest detri- 
ment to the public service, and weaken the hands of the 
government, especially in the provinces, succeeded in in- 
ducing Theodosius to re-issue his command for extermina- 
ting the Thessalonians with fire and sword. Seldom have 
the annals of history been stained with so foul a deed of 



FALLING INTO OPEN SIN. 



219 



perfidy and baseness. Proclamation having been made, 
that on a set day, the civil authorities would treat the pop- 
ulace to an exhibition of the favorite games, a vast con- 
course assembled, and the moment all eyes were riveted on 
the spot, expecting the spectacle to commence, bands of 
soldiery rushed furiously from all quarters on the defence- 
less crowd, slaughtering all without distinction of age, sex, 
or condition. So dreadful was the massacre, that within 
three hours, seven thousand people were stretched lifeless 
on the ground. Meanwhile a messenger had been posting 
night and day, from the palace of the emperor with a com- 
mission to stop the proceedings, the emperor having no soon- 
er consented to the massacre than he relented ; but the dep- 
uty did not arrive till the unfortunate Thessalonica had be- 
come a city of the dead, and Theodosius had to sustain in 
the eyes of God and man the guilt of such unparalelled cru- 
elty. 

Not long after, circumstances occurred which rendered 
it necessary for the emperor to repair to Milan, when the 
celebrated Ambrose, bishop of the place, wrote him a letter, 
in which he severely reproached him for his base and horri- 
ble treatment of the Thessalonians. Nothing is known of 
the reception given to this letter, or of any further corres- 
pondence which may have passed between them on the sub- 
ject, until, on the Lord's day, the emperor proceeding to 
public worship, Ambrose met him at the gates of the church, 
and peremptorily refused to admit him. This proceeding of 
Ambrose, extraordinary as it may appear to us, could not 
have been surprising nor unexpected to his sovereign, who 
was well aware that the austere discipline of the times 
doomed offenders of every description to wait in the area or 
the porticos of the church, and beg the forgiveness and the 
prayers of the faithful, before they were permitted to reach 
the lowest station of the penitents. Self-love, however, or 



220 



FALLING INTO OPEN SIN. 



a secret pride in his exalted station, might perhaps have 
led Theodosms to hope, that the ordinary severity of the 
Church would be relaxed in his favor — more especially, as 
the act imputed to him as a crime, was justified by many ur- 
gent considerations of state policy ; and under this delusion, 
he made for the church, never dreaming, it would seem, 
that whatever demur the minister of Christ might make, he 
would have the boldness to arrest the progress of an emper- 
or in the presence of his courtiers, and of the whole congre- 
gation. But the fear of man was never known to have 
made Ambrose flinch from his duty ; and, heedless of every 
consideration, but that of fidelity to the cause and the hon- 
or of his heavenly Master, he planted himself on the thresh- 
hold of the church, and vowed, that neither bribes nor 
menaces would induce him to admit, into the temple of the 
God of peace, a royal criminal, red with the blood of thou- 
sands, who were his brethren, — all of them by the ties of 
a common nature, — many of them by the bonds of a com- 
mon faith. 

Theodosius, thus suddenly put on his self-defence, took 
refuge in the history of David, who was also a sovereign ; 
and who, though he had combined the guilt of adultery with 
that of murder, was yet pardoned and restored to favor by 
God himself, on the confession of his sins. 'You have re- 
sembled David in his crime,' replied the inflexible Ambrose, 
4 resemble him also in his repentance.' Self-convicted and 
abashed, the emperor abandoned all further attempts ; and, 
returning to his palace, during eight months continued in a 
state of excommunication from Christian fellowship, bearing 
all the ignominy, and stooping to all the humiliating acts re- 
quired of those who underwent the discipline of the Church. 

As the first annual season of communion approached, the 
anxiety of the emperor to participate became extreme. Of- 
ten, in the paroxisms of his grief, did he say to the coun- 



FALLING INTO OPEN SIX. 



221 



sellor, who had advised the Draconic edict against the Thes- 
salonians, ' Servants and beggars have liberty to join in 
worship and communion, but to me the church doors, and 
consequently the gates of heaven, are closed ; for so the 
Lord hath decreed, ' Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth 
shall be bound in heaven.' 

At length it was agreed between the prince and his fa- 
vorite, that the latter should seek an interview with Am- 
brose, and endeavor to gain him over to employ a privilege 
of his order, — that of abridging, in certain circumstances, 
the period appointed for the duration of church discipline. 
The eagerness of his royal master could not wait his return, 
and meeting him on his way, he was greeted with the un- 
welcome intelligence, that the faithful bishop considered it 
a violation of his duty, to remit any part of the just cen- 
.sures of the Church ; and that nothing but submission to 
the shame and degradation of a public confession of his 
sins could accomplish the object which was dearest to the 
heart of the royal penitent. On an appointed day, accord- 
ingly, Theodosius appeared in the church of Milan, clothed 
in sackcloth ; and, acknowledging the heinousness of his 
offence ; the just sentence by which he forfeited the commu- 
nion of the faithful, and the profound sorrow he now felt 
for having authorized so gross an outrage on the laws of 
heaven and the rights of humanity, was received, with the 
unanimous consent of the whole congregation, once more in 
the bosom of Christian society. Nothing can afford a bet- 
ter test of the simplicity and godly sincerity of the Chris- 
tian emperor, than his readiness to assume, in presence of 
his people, an attitude so humiliating. 

How deep must have been his repentance toward God, — 
how strong his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, — and how 
many plausible reasons of public expediency and personal 
honor must behave had to encounter, before he could brino- 



222 



FALLING INTO OPEN SIN. 



himself, in the face of a crowded assembly, to say, as he en- 
tered, 6 My soul cleaveth unto the dust ; quicken thou me, 
according to thy word and before he could throw him- 
self prostrate on the ground, to implore the pardon of God 
and the forgiveness of his fellow men ! This extraordina- 
ry history affords an illustrious example of genuine repen- 
tance, and exhibits in no less memorable light, the strict- 
ness and impartiality of primitive discipline." 

So, dear reader, you who have declined from the ways 
of God, and neglected to cultivate the Christian temper, 
and to rule your own spirit ; and have brought scandal on 
the Church, and reproach on the cause of Christ, refuse not 
the correction of those who are over you in the Lord and 
admonish you. " The kingdom of God is not only in word, 
but in power." What the Church binds on earth, accord- 
ing to the will of God and by the rules he has given her, is 
bound in heaven. What she declares thus to be done, is 
the same as if it were declared from heaven. And, ! the 
awful condition of one, who is debarred from heaven, and from 
the communion of the Church, where Jesus, the ever-living 
high-priest, who has poured forth his life's blood as an ob- 
lation, and given his body as a sacrifice, ever stands to re- 
concile offending man with God, and to pour the pure stream 
of the water of life into the thirsting soul, and to feed it 
with heavenly bread. The situation of the guilty criminal, 
who has thus wounded the Saviour in the house of his 
friends, ought not to be endured without a shudder of hor- 
ror, and without the deepest and most heart-felt repentance. 

But, on the other hand, a person may be guilty of the 
most sad and deplorable apostacy, without his sin coming to 
the knowledge of the community, or of the Church. If such 
be the case with you whom I am addressing, let me warn 
you to remember that the all-seeing eye of Him is upon 
you, to whom chiefly, in any circumstances, you are to 



PALLING INTO OPEN SIN. 



223 



make your acknowledgments of guilt, and whom chiefly you 
should have in view in all your actions as a church-member, 
in order that what you do, you may do as unto God and 
not merely unto men. And though the ear of man may 
not have heard, nor the eye of man perceived your guilt, 
omit not to repent of it in the secret exercises of the closet, 
and to confirm the profession of your sincerity by the use 
of the solemn and melting sacrament of the Lord's Supper. 

And when all this is done, do not suppose that, because 
you have derived comfort and peace from the means of 
grace, and assurance from the Holy Spirit of the pardon 
of sin, the guilt of your apostacy is to be forgotten at once. 
Bear it still in mind for future caution ; and together with 
the other sins of your past life, bring it into review to hum- 
ble you for your folly and the wounds it occasioned. Let 
the sense of past abominations remain, in order, as it is 
said in the Scriptures, " That thou may est remember thy 
ways, and be confounded, and never open thy mouth any 
more because of thy shame, even when I am pacified to- 
wards thee for all that thou hast done, saith the Lord." 

Having thus far followed you through the several steps 
of your retrograde course in departing from the Lord, and 
having held up to your view the remedy for your fall, " let 
me entreat you, if now, upon the whole, you desire to at- 
tain such a temper as has been described, and to return to 
such steps as have been directed, immediately to fall down 
before God, and pour out your heart in his presence, in lan- 
guage like the following : 



A PRAYER FOR ONE WHO HAS FALLEN INTO GROSS SIN AFTER 
RELIGIOUS RESOLUTIONS AND ENGAGEMENTS. 

O, thou almighty and holy God ! who art perfect in wisdom, 
justice, goodness ; and truth ; and who art worshipped by holy 



224 



FALLING INTO OPEN SIN. 



beings iu heaven, who ascribe unto thee praise and dominion, say- 
ing : " Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God omnipotent, which was, 
and is, and is to come and whose service is pure, being unmix- 
ed with sin and pollution ; when I consider that thou dost require 
me, at least, to approximate the service of angels, rendering to thee, 
in character and in kind, an obedience similar to that rendered by 
the angels in thy immediate presence, in laboring and praying that 
thy will may be done on earth as it is done in heaven j I am con- 
founded and humbled in the dust before thee. For I have fallen 
far below the standard, not only of the holy retinue around thy 
throne above, but of that which is established in the Church mili- 
tant below. By reason of sin and the darkness of my understand- 
ing and the hidings of thy face, I can scarcely tell whether I do 
choose thy service or the service of Satan ; and whether or no I 
am to be classed with " the angels that kept not their first estate, 
and are reserved in chains under darkness, unto the judgment of 
the great day." 

God ! when I behold my degradation in sin ; when I behold 
my fallen estate, and my estrangement from thee and thy ways, I 
lament my unfortunate and miserable condition. I feel the curse 
of sin to be upon me. I feel, indeed, that I was conceived and 
born in sin, and I am constrained to lainent and bewail the calam- 
ity that has befallen me, by the loss of that heaven-born innocence, 
in which my first parents were created, in consequence of whose 
sin, happiness was banished from the human mind and the very 
ground was cursed, so that 

" earth felt the wound 

And nature, from her seat, sighing through all her works, 

Gave signs of wo that all was lost," 

and in consequence of which double anathema, " the whole crea- 
tion is groaning and travailing in pain together until now." 

But more especially do I lament my own actual transgressions 
during my unconverted state, when thou mightest justly have giv- 
en me over to death and everlasting wo. But above all, after I 
had taken upon me the profession of thy name, and hoped that I 
had been renewed in the image of him who created me, and had 
entered on the beginning of heavenly obedience, having received 



FALLING INTO OPEN BIN. 



225 



the promise of grace to assist me— to fall away, as I have done, into 
the commission of the most horrible sins against my G-od and Sa- 
viour, in spite of all the winning motives of his grace, fills me with 
grief and shame too deep for words to express. 

God ! must I thus live and be the prey of my own evil pas- 
sions, and finally be lost forever ? Oil cannot endure the thought. 
From the lowest depths of sin and degradation I cry unto thee. 
Though sinful and vile as I am, I still cannot but aspire to heaven 
— I cannot but aspire to the attainment of perfection in holiness, 
and to the attainment of the rest of the saints. Saviour ! spurn 
me not from thy presence, though I have wounded thee by my fool- 
ishness, and grieved the Holy Spirit by my sins. " Cast me not 
from thy presence, and take not thy Holy Spirit from me," 
Father; but restore me, I beseech thee, to thy wonted favor— to 
the favor which thou bearest to thine anointed. Deliver me from 
evil. Deliver me from the evil one, and suffer not Satan to over- 
whelm me with his temptations. " Restore to me the joys of thy 
salvation, and uphold me with thy free Spirit ; then will I teach 
transgressors thy ways, and sinners shall be converted unto thee;" 
for, although I have degraded myself, thy glory and thy cause is 
still my delight. 1 long to be delivered from sin and shame, and 
to behold the glory of the Redeemer, and to enter into the joys of 
heaven. 

Thou knowest, God ! the wounds of my spirit which have 
been inflicted by sin. Thou knowest that I abhor myself for the 
baseness of which I am guilty — that I shudder in view of my sins 
and my sinfulness. Thou knowest, God ! my sorrow and my 
repentance for the sins which have brought me into my present situ- 
ation. I have no excuse to offer. I am guilty in thy sight ; and 
yet, my imploring eyes turn to thee. Thou art acquainted with 
my desire and my plea before thee, though words are inadequate 
to express them ; and yet I feel, that my desires and my repen- 
tance cannot claim thy favor. I am conscious, that in me there 
dwelleth no good thing. I feel utterly empty of all grounds or 
reasons why thou shouldst regard me with favor, and yet I feel 
confident, that thou wilt receive me in the name of Him who is 



19 



226 



FALLING INTO OPEN SIB". 



worthy to receive all honor and praise, and who ever liveth to make 
intercession. I feel impelled, Lord, by the necessities of my 
immortal nature, and by the beauty and suitableness of the Re- 
deemer, and, I hope and trust, also by the promptings of thy good 
Spirit, to cast myself at the mercy-seat, and to cling to the horns 
of that altar, which has been erected wherever thou hast recorded 
thy name, and wherever thou hearest prayer . 

Hear me, therefore, in these my petitions, not for any worthi- 
ness or merit in me, but alone for thy mercy and truth's sake, 
Amen, 



CHAPTER XXI. 



SOME SUGGESTIONS PREPARATORY TO COMMUNION IN THE 
SACRAMENT OE THE LORD'S SUPPER, 



" Examine yourselves whether ye be in the faith ; prove 
your own selves." 1 Cor. 13 : 5. 

It is a wise and merciful provision of our heavenly Father, 
that, amidst the temptations and the failures to which we 
are subject, and the trials and anxieties which come over 
us in our Christian life, there has been set apart a season of 
communion, when we can leave, as it were, the cares of the 
world and our struggles with sin behind, and enter into the 
house of God, to engage in that feast of delight and love — 
the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. 

The Christian is commanded by the Lord in his word, 
and required by the Church to partake of this feast. No 
excuse, offered on the ground of his unfitness, or of the un- 
fitness of others in the congregation to partake of it, can 
absolve him from his obligations. If he is fit to be a church- 
member, he is qualified and required to come to this sacra- 
ment. It is so closely connected with the Christian life, as 
a means of our sanctification, that, if any one lives in the 
habitual neglect of it, he ought not to call himself a Chris- 
tian. 

But the same command which requires the observance of 
the Lord's Supper, requires also the preparation necessary 
for it. " Let a man examine himself, and so let him eat 
of that bread and drink of that cup." I shall, therefore, 
endeavor, as another communion season approaches, to as- 
sist the church-member in a self-examination by way of 
giving some preparatory suggestions. 



228 



PREPARATION FOR THE LORD'S SUPPER. 



The object to be kept in view in the Lord's Supper, is, its 
general design and nature. It is designed and adapted to 
give you a foretaste of heaven — of heavenly joys, heavenly 
purity, and heavenly wisdom. It is designed and adapted 
to bring to your remembrance, in a peculiarly living and 
real way, what Christ was, and is, and is to be to you. One 
immediate end to be attained in the use of this sacrament, 
is, to unite you more and more to the glorified body of 
Christ which is in heaven. This is a mystical union, which 
subsists between Christ and his members. Paul calls it a 
mystery. But it is nevertheless a union with Christ's body 
in a real and living way ; not that that body is anywhere 
but in heaven, but that the mediatorial life of Christ, com- 
prehending both his divinity and humanity, or as it is ex- 
pressed in the Catechism, his majesty, grace and Spirit, 
descends from heaven to the earth, and is present and liv- 
ing and active in the Church, and in the persons of believers. 

If you are a Christian, you are united to Christ's body 
as the branch is united to the vine. You are born again — 
made a new creature in him. He is a Saviour to you by 
dwelling in you and you in him. This indwelling of the 
Saviour constitutes your spiritual life — the life of God in 
the soul. This is a great mystery : but the fact is plain, 
and the design is plain. Now it is the nature and design of 
this life, that it should grow, that it should become more 
manifest, that you, who are the subject of it, should become 
more and more like your Saviour in your thoughts, words, 
feelings and actions. And this again — namely, the effect 
of this life — is designed to be a means of carrying forward 
the cause of religion, the cause of Christ in the world, by 
attracting others to come within the circle of divine influ- 
ence and yield themselves to the power of this life. " Let 
your light so shine before men, that they may see your 
good works, and glorify your father which is in heaven." 



PREPARATION FOR THE LORD'S SUPPER. 



229 



This living light of the Christian should, like God's grace, 
" to the end, stronger and brighter shine." If you are 
truly a Christian, the probability is, that you will perse- 
vere to the end of your life and be finally saved. There 
are strong promises in the sacred Scriptures to this effect. 
Christ himself said that none should, or could pluck his be- 
lieving followers out of his hands. And Paul asks the ques- 
tion : " Who shall separate us from the love of Christ," 
&c, and then afterwards declares, that nothing shall sepa- 
rate believers from " the love of God, which is in Christ 
Jesus." And considering the omnipotence of God, we 
would infer, that it is almost, if not entirely, morally cer- 
tain, that believers will finally all be saved. 

Yet, on the other hand, it is not entirely certain, that, 
for some unfaithfulness of their own, he mav not leave them 
to themselves. And considering their own power, if left to 
themselves, there is at least great danger of their falling 
away and being lost. At all events, no one is sure of be- 
ing saved finally, unless he be a Christian. Taking it for 
granted, therefore, that there is at least a high degree of 
probability, that such will be finally saved, no one is assured 
of it, unless he is assured that he is a Christian. Moreover, 
no one is certain that he is truly a Christian, unless he shows 
the fruits of a Christian life ; unless he loves God ; unless 
he loves and prefers Christ as his Saviour and obeys his 
commands, by performing Christian duties ; unless he over- 
comes sin and resists temptations, leading a virtuous and 
pious life, increasing in holiness. Thus you, dear Christian 
reader, whom I am addressing, are not certain that you are 
what you profess to be, unless you persevere in " every 
good word and work." 

As you desire comfort in your own soul, therefore, you 
should " grow in grace and in the knowledge of God." As 
you desire a comfortable assurance, that you will be finally 
19* 



230 



PREPARATION FOR THE LORD'S SUPPER. 



saved, you should be diligent and active in doing good. 
Your only, or chief comfort in life and in death, is, that 
you belong, not to yourself, but to your faithful Saviour 
Jesus Christ. But you cannot belong to Christ, if you live 
in habitual sin and carelessness. The Christian life is its 
own highest evidence. The Holy Ghost works an assured 
confidence in the heart, by leading you to the possession of 
the indwelling Christ, as the ever-living Redeemer, who 
works in you to will and to do of his good pleasure. " But 
if ye have not the Spirit of Christ ye are none of his " — 
you cannot overcome sin. " This is the victory that over- 
cometh the world," says the apostle, " even our faith." 
Faith is life ; it is the most comprehensive and living act of 
the soul, and is produced by the Holy Spirit and unites to 
Christ. Hence we should pray, " Lord increase our faith." 
We should pray for the Holy Spirit who unites us to Christ, 
and takes the things of Christ and shows them to us. The 
Holy Spirit works through the means of grace. These are 
designed to increase our faith, our confidence, and our in- 
ward life; to bring us nearer to Christ, and Christ nearer 
to us, so as to bring his grace to bear on our hearts — that 
his life may be strengthened in us — that we may be dead 
to the world and alive unto God through Jesus Christ. 
This is especially the design of the Lord's Supper. It is 
intended to give us power to overcome sin — to purify our 
souls from pollution — to advance our sanctification, so that 
we may let our "light shine before men," &c. This the 
Corinthians, to whom Paul wrote and gave directions to ex- 
amine themselves, had forgotten. They celebrated the 
Lord's Supper like a common feast, or heathen festival — to 
satisfy their carnal appetites, and to obtain carnal pleasure 
by becoming intoxicated. They did not discern the Lord's 
body. They did not discern the nature and design of the 
sacrament, which was to unite them, more and more, mys- 



PREPARATION FOR THE LORD'S SUPPER. 



231 



tically, with his glorified body, in order that their minds 
and their bodies might become more and more sanctified to 
his service. On account of the unworthy manner in which 
they partook of the sacrament, " many were weak and sick- 
ly among them;" and this both physically and spiritually, 
They were guilty of intemperate habits, and immoral prac- 
tices. They even retained in their communion an inces- 
tuous person. " After such excesses many might be weak 
and sickly among them ; and many might sleep, i. e. die ; 
for continual experience shows us, that many fall victims to 
their own intemperance. They might have £ provoked God 
to plague them with divers diseases, and sundry kinds of 
death.' " 

The next thing necessary for a proper partaking of the 
Lord's Supper, is, a knowledge- — a consciousness of'sin and 
of the need of redemption. And how can you have a 
knowledge of your sins without self-examination ? Here 
then, we see the use of assembling together previous to com- 
munion, in order to prepare ourselves to partake of the sa- 
crament in a profitable manner. The promise is, " Seek and 
ye shall find ; knock and it shall be opened unto you," &c. 
But you cannot seek grace, if you do not feel the need of 
it ; and you cannot feel the need of it, unless you think,— 
unless you meditate — and unless you bring to your remem- 
brance your need of forgiveness and sanctification. You 
cannot feed on the glorified body of Christ, " the hidden 
manna," " the bread that cometh down from heaven," if you 
do not " hunger and thirst after righteousness." You can- 
not be " filled with all the fulness of God," if you do not 
feel your own emptiness. You cannot see the preciousness 
of Christ on the cross, if you do not feel your sinfulness 
and your need of a righteousness better than your own. 
You cannot be strengthened from on high, if you do not 
feel your own weakness. 



232 



PREPARATION FOR THE LORD'S SUPPER. 



Examine yourself, therefore, seriously and honestly, as 
in the light of God's countenance. And to assist you, I 
would observe, that your examination should be performed, 

1. With deliberation. Deliberation is thoughtfulness 
and caution. You should have your thoughts about you, 
when you engage in the examination of yourself. You 
should have your eyes open to the truth before you. You 
should give yourself entirely to the business in hand. De- 
liberation is the opposite of carelessness and thoughtless- 
ness. If you are careless and thoughtless in this business, 
you will fail of accomplishing the object in view. You 
should call your thoughts in from every worldly care and 
look back upon your past life, and see wherein you have 
come short of the divine approbation, wherein you have 
failed to do your duty, and wherein you have gone beyond 
the line marked out for you and the sphere within which 
you were to confine yourself. You should look forward and 
consider what the Church expects of you. Many " witness- 
es " behold you and are interested in your progress. You 
should look forward and consider what the Lord expects and 
demands of you. He expects every man to do his duty. 
You should look forward, and consider that you must meet 
God at the marriage supper of the Lamb ; that you must 
have on the wedding garment ; that you must have his 
mark on your forehead ; and that you cannot have his mark 
on your forehead, unless you have his Spirit in your heart, 
his heavenly reward in your eye, and his example in your 
life — unless you have that faith which works by love, puri- 
fies the heart, and overcomes the world. 

You should look around and see the dangers to which 
you are exposed, and the enemies you have to combat. You 
are in danger of being drawn away by worldly things, and 
of being too much attached to material and temporal things. 
These are apt to engage too much of your attention. Some 



PREPARATION FOR THE LORD'S SUPPER. 



233 



are in danger of loving riches inordinately, and we are told 
the "love of money is the root of all evil, which, while some 
have coveted after, they have erred from the faith/' Some 
are in danger of inordinate sexual affection, and we are told 
that " no whoremonger shall inherit eternal life." Some 
are in danger of loving intoxicating drinks too much, and we 
are told that " no drunkard shall inherit eternal life." Some 
are in danger of loving sinful amusements and sports, and 
we are told that revelry and banquetings are classed with 
" lasciviousness and drunkenness and idolatry, for which 
things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of 
disobedience." Some are in danger of covetousness — an 
insatiable lust and hankering after more than is necessary 
for their natural wants, and we are told that " covetousness 
is idolatry." Some are in danger of falling into the sin of 
foolish talking and jesting — frivolous conversation and idle 
words, and we are told that this is not convenient. It is 
falling below the proper standard, and showing a want of 
self-respect. It is utterly improper and highly unbecoming 
a person professing Christ. " Love not the world, nor the 
things of the world; if any man love the world, the love of 
the Father is not in him," says the Saviour. You are in 
danger, in all these ways, of departing from " the living 
God" and going after idols. 

Again, you are in clanger of being led into sin by wicked 
men. Some men take delight in tempting Christians and 
leading them off from duty and from God, into evil company 
and evil ways. They feel condemned both by the word of 
God and the example of Christians. They feel uncomfort- 
able, because their own consciences accuse them of wrong, 
and if they can but get Christians to act as they act, they 
feel excused. If they can get church-members to commit 
sin, they rejoice and say, Yfhy ! they are no better than we 
ourselves are. But w T e are told not to " keep company with 



234 



PREPARATION FOR THE LORD'S SUPPER. 



ungodly men." We should not follow them in their ways, 
either by precept or example. When they entice, rather 
say, " My soul, come not thou into their secret, and to their 
assembly let not mine honor be united." 

You should feel, that there is a vast difference between 
you and the world ; that, although you have many faults and 
imperfections, you have different principles, a different 
standard of duty, and different motives to actuate you; and 
withal, that you have Christ dwelling in your heart by faith 
—dwelling in you, together with the Holy Spirit and the 
Father, as your life. In all situations, and in every place, 
and every company, you should feel as if you were a Chris- 
tian, and act accordingly. Whilst you " become all things 
to all men," conforming to the habits and customs of that 
society in which you are placed, so far as prudence may 
dictate, you should not become a time-server, and compro- 
mise the essential truths and principles of your profession. 
Whilst you cover, even errors, with the mantle of charity, 
you should still pronounce them errors ; and where the hon- 
or and glory of God are concerned, be firm in the mainte- 
nance of your principles. 

You should be a witness, as well as a light, against the 
errors and corruptions of the world, being no partakers in 
the works of darkness, but rather reproving them. Bather 
die a martyr to the truth of Jesus, than approve sin, and 
dishonor the God who made and redeemed you. Like the 
young lad, in one of our cities, who suffered death by 
drowning from his thoughtless companions, rather than go 
with them to steal fruit from a garden, on the Sabbath 
day, be unyielding — let God be true and every man a liar. 

Again, you should remember your enemy, the devil, who 
goes about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. 
He oftentimes puts it into your head to do evil. He sug- 
gests to you, that you may promise yourself happiness in 



PREPARATION FOR THE LORD'S SUPPER. 



235 



sin; but he will lead you to bondage. He has the power to 
suggest evil thoughts — those demons of the mind, which are 
so annoying to the believer. This makes him a most terri- 
ble enemy. He enters the very citadel of our strength — 
our minds, and, in some mysterious way, influences our 
thoughts. Well may you watch against his wiles, and pray- 
to be delivered. 

Again, your heart also is apt to lead you astray ; for 
when you would do good, evil is present with you. " The 
heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; 
who can know it?" Your heart sometimes feels a strong 
inclination to sin, and because it feels thus — because you 
have such a strong, and almost irresistible inward inclination 
to sin, you are apt to excuse yourself and think it is not 
wrong to do that which is forbidden. Deliberation in ex- 
am ing your heart, however, will reveal to you the fact, that 
it is your enemy. Well may you pray to God not to leave 
you, but to deliver you from yourself. You have enemies 
without and within. You should, therefore, arouse your 
soul to the conflict, and entering into the battle of faith with a 
deliberate aim, say : 

"Awake my soul, lift up thine eyes, 
See where thy foes against thee rise." 

2. This examination should be performed impartially. 
You should desire to know the worst of your case and ac- 
knowledge it. Satan and your heart would say, " Never 
mind, you are not so bad as you may think yourself to be ; 
you are in no danger of losing your soul : you are in no 
danger of falling into fatal snares and bringing reproach on 
your profession." But God says : " He that covereth his 
sins shall not prosper, but whoso confesseth and forsaketh 
them shall have mercy." 

Some persons will say, " It is no matter whether you 
keep the Sabbath holy — no matter whether you read the 



236 PREPARATION FOR THE LORD'S SUPPER. 

Bible, &c. — no matter whether you go to church — no mat- 
ter whether you partake of the sacrament— -no matter wheth- 
er you set a good example or not. Do these things when 
it is convenient, and when you feel like it, and in such a 
manner as you feel like doing them. There is no use to be 
so strict. The world was made to be enjoyed. Be a good 
citizen. Do as well as you can for yourself and your fellow- 
men. This is all that is necessary." But they are false 
advisers. " They heal the hurt of the daughter of the peo- 
ple slightly, saying, peace, peace, where there is no peace." 
To such you should say, " Get thee behind me, Satan," &c. 

3. This examination should be performed diligently. You 
should be in earnest, and do with your might "what your 
hand finds to do " in this business. You should bend the 
energies of your mind to this duty, and not confer with your 
feelings and inclinations, if they are opposed to it. If your 
heart is backward, you should chide it on to the duty. 

4. This examination should be performed wisely. Wis- 
dom is the adaptation of means to ends. If you are wise, 
you will attend to this duty for the purpose of obtaining a 
benefit, and in such a way as to secure it. You should con- 
sider the future ; and if you would not be " condemned with 
the world " at the judgment day, you should condemn your- 
self now — you should judge and scrutinize yourself impar- 
tially now. 

t 5 - Finally, this examination should be performed with a 
sincere desire of amendment. If you have not a sincere de- 
sire to amend your life, the Lord's Supper will profit you 
nothing. God is not the minister of sin. He is the au- 
thor of salvation ; and that salvation is designed to free you 
from sin, to make you happy ; to honor his grace, and to 
make you a channel by which to convey it to others. " But 
if the light which is in you," or ought to be in you, " be 
darkness, how great is that darkness." If you merely 



PREPARATION FOR THE LORD'S SUPPER. 



23T 



profess to be a disciple of Christ, without having his inward 
light to dissipate the darkness, how great will be your dark- 
ness? Christ says: "Herein is my Father glorified, that 
ye bear much fruit ; so shall ye be my disciples." 

These are some of the thoughts, which I would suggest 
to you, as you are about to approach the table of the Lord. 
And be assured, if you will follow these directions faithful- 
ly, you will have cause to thank God in eternity for " the 
word of his grace." Let Saturday afternoon, previous to 
communion, be appropriated as much as possible to medita- 
tion and prayer. I have found this course profitable in my 
own case, and doubtless it has been so in that of others. I, 
therefore, recommend it to you. 



A PRAYER AND CONFESSION FOR ONE WHO IS DESIROUS OF CELE- 
BRATING THE LORD'S SUPPER IN A PROPER MANNER. 

O Lord Glod ! when I reflect on my past life, I am filled with 
humility and gratitude. Not only previous to the last communion 
season, when I paid my vows to thee in the sacrament of the holy 
supper ; hut since that time, I have been guilty of many grievous 
sins. Alas ! I have publicly transgressed thy commandments. I 
have committed the awful sin of profaning thy name-— desecrating 
thy holy Sabbath — dishonoring and grieving my parents— injur- 
ing, and thus virtually killing my neighbor— defiling myself, by 
indulging in immoral practices — stealing, by taking from my neigh- 
bor that which was not properly my own— bearing false witness 
against, and slandering my neighbor — and coveting my neighbor's 
possessions, and giving evidence of an insatiable avarice, in various 
ways by words and deeds. Thus, O Lord ! much of my profes- 
sing of thy name, which should have been a light before the world, 
has been darkness. 

" And not only with gross outward transgressions, have I griev- 
ously and in manifold ways sinned against thee, but much more 
20 



238 



PREPARATION FOR THE LORIES SUFFER, 



with inward natural blindness, unbelief, doubts, despondency, im- 
patience, pride, eyil covetousness, secret envy, hatred, malice, and 
other sinful affections— thou my Lord and God well knowest, and, 
I, alas ! cannot deeply enough deplore." Yet, notwithstanding 
all this, thou hast borne with me, and mercifully offerest me par- 
don on the condition of faith and repentance, of which thou hast 
given assurance, in that thou hast raised Jesus from the dead, and 
hast given him power to show living evidence of his presence in 
the Church, by the power of his majesty, grace and Spirit, by 
means of his word and sacraments: in that thou hast given him pow- 
er to manifest his glory in the sanctuary below, as well as in the 
sanctuary above. I have seen his glory in the sanctuary, and I am 
moved with gratitude, O Lord ! in contemplating thy goodness and 
mercy in the past history of my life, and in the abundant " pro- 
vision of thy house," for my comfort and salvation. 

O, may I enter into the gates of thy house on the morrow, with 
praise, and into thy courts with thanksgiving and joyfully partake 
of the living passover— the memorial of the martyr-lamb, and with 
my daily life may I serve thee, and with my latest breath may I 
praise thee, and in eternity own, and be owned by thee the triune 
God ? Father^ Son ; and Holy Spirit, Amen, 



CHAPTER XXII. 



THE CHURCH-MEMBER IN SECRET— IN THE CLOSET AND PRI- 
VATE LIFE. 



" The private acts, the secret walks of men, 
If noble, far the noblest of their lives." 

It is comparatively easy to make a public profession of re- 
ligion, and to obtain a creditable character as a church- 
member, so far as that may be necessary to entitle you to 
all the privileges of a church-member, according to the require- 
ments which exist in most congregations. It is not so easy, 
however, to obtain those sentiments and feelings — that secret 
life of the mind and the will, which will accompany you in 
public duties, controling your motives and actions according 
to the principles of the gospel, and not leave you when you 
are alone and retired from the world. It is very well 
known, that a person may pass through the outward forms 
of reception into the Church, without having his heart 
touched, in such a manner as to have his soul changed into 
the mould of Christianity, so that his will and his affections 
are firmly fixed for God. 

I shall never forget the case of a young man, who had 
been received into the Church, after a course of prepara- 
tion, by instruction in the catechism, and examination by 
the pastor and consistory, but who did not perform his du- 
ty afterwards, and seemed to have no knowledge of earnest 
and experimental religion. When he was spoken to with 
regard to his condition, and his prospects, his duty and 
his destiny, he remarked : " If I am not doing right, and 
if I will finally be lost, I may thank Mr. — — . his 
his pastor, for it." In his case, either his pastor must have 



240 



PRIVATE DUTIES, 



forgotten to be faithful, or the young man did not under- 
stand him, and neglected to pray in secret for a blessing on 
his soul. 

The believer's religious life, so far as it consists in his 
own agency, in cultivating the Christian graces, the Chris- 
tian spirit, and Christian principles, should commence in 
the closet, the chamber of meditation and devotion. Scrip- 
ture injunctions would lead us to this opinion. The Saviour 
says, " But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, 
and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which 
is in secret, and thy Father which seeth in secret shall re- 
ward the openly." Rather commence the cultivation of a 
religious character in secret first, and that by cultivating 
the heart — the inward man, with correct principles and 
proper motives, motives of love to the general cause, the 
glory of God, and not like the hypocrites and self-deceivers, 
who prayed in the synagogues and at the corners of the 
streets only to be seen of men. Thus, when the secret 
springs of action are right, your light will shine in public 
in all necessary respects, and your Father will reward you 
openly. 

Those church-members who have been most powerful in 
doing good, were those who waited in secret on their God. 
It was there, they received strength, such as was more than 
human, and made them, though weak in themselves, like 
Moses, powerful instruments in the hand of God for the 
promulgation of his name. It was there they moved the 
arm which moves the world. The most useful rivers, those 
which contribute most to the comfort and convenience of 
mankind, are such as commence their course in some secret 
nook, unnoticed by men, and flow forth until they mingle 
their waters with larger streams, and finally discharge them- 
selves into the broad ocean. The humble rivulet is the be- 
ginning of a mighty river, whose fishing eddies furnish the 



PRIVATE DUTIES. 



241 



tables of the poor with meat, and on whose broad bosom 
vessels float, with precious burdens for distant cities, car- 
rying the blessings of commerce and civilization. 

The laws of the human mind also require its religious ex- 
ercises to begin in retirement and solitude. True moral or 
mental worth is always modest. It comes into public view 
by degrees, and according to the laws of its development, 
and the occasions which should call it forth. For a profes- 
sor of religion, young in years, and young in experience, to 
engage in public prayer, and other exercises in prayer meet- 
ings, without first praying in secret, is both unnatural and 
improper. It will be very likely to result in injury to his 
religious nature, filling him with vanity and pride, instead 
of humility ; or else, in case of failure, leading him to des- 
pair and to make shipwreck of faith entirely. 

The writer has seen these results in the cases of persons, 
who were his intimate acquaintances. Two young persons, 
he knew, in whose history and experience, the strongest 
contrast was visible, going to illustrate the correctness of 
the statement just made. The one attended catechetical 
instruction, and in accordance with the advice and sugges- 
tion of his pastor, he prayed daily in secret, lifting up his 
voice, with his hands, to his Father in heaven. During the 
progress of these meetings of inquiry into the doctrines and 
duties of Christianity, together with his meditations and 
prayers thereon, and especially during the communion sea- 
son, he realized a blessing to his soul, which enabled him to 
rejoice greatly in God his Saviour, and to love him with a 
supreme and consecrating affection. It is now a little over 
fourteen years since he was introduced by confirmation, to 
the rights and privileges of the Church, and he is still firm- 
ly settled in " the faith once delivered to the saints." 

The other, who was his intimate acquaintance, would not 
attend the catechetical lectures, excusing himself by saying, 
20* 



242 



PRIVATE DUTIES, 



it was no good way to become religious, regarding it as a 
formal and foolish custom. In the course of time, a revival 
and protracted meeting commenced in the town, in a Church 
where persons were received after a change of heart, as they 
supposed, but in which they were mistaken sometimes, — as 
is the case in all Churches in receiving members, — and 
where they were received as seekers after a change of heart, 
as it may be obtained in connection with the use of such 
means as the promiscuous instruction, which is given at the 
anxious bench, in the class meeting, and in the congrega- 
tional meeting, or otherwise, affords. Accordingly, this 
young man, being attracted and moved thereto, united with 
this Church, and immediately gave that hind of public ex- 
pression to his joy, which was customary there. He next 
gave his experience in the class meeting in a flaming man- 
ner ; and then engaged in public prayer ; and soon also, be- 
came the leader of class meetings, and prayer meetings. He 
never prayed in secret, however. The consequence was, 
after a year or so of church-membership, he became offen- 
ded and withdrew, and subsequently became a wretchedly 
wicked man, to whom there seemed nothing left, but a fear- 
ful looking for of judgment. "Ah!" exclaimed he to his 
friend, after he saw his folly, and the difficulties in which 
he was involved in his church-relationship, the cause of 
which he did not exactly know — " If I had only gone with 
you to catechise." 

Another person, a young man, who attended catechetical 
exercises with the one above alluded to, neglected secret 
prayer, reading and study, and when he attempted to pray 
in public, he failed, and became discouraged, and finally 
grew careless and irreligious altogether. Thus it often 
happens. Young converts, the tender plants in Zion, if 
brought forth *to exhibit themselves in too public a way, 
are blighted, wilted and scorched, like young and tender 



PRIVATE DUTIES. 



243 



flowers before the burning heat of the mid-day sun ; where- 
as, if they were kept in a more moderate spiritual tempera- 
ture, and prepared by cultivation— yes, cultivation, in con- 
nection with a true change of heart, they would become 
trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord. 

We might go on indefinitely to multiply reasons and ex- 
amples, showing the benefits of private prayer and medita- 
tion ; but we will simply present in addition, the case of a 
young man, of which the writer heard or read somewhere. 
The account, as near as he can recollect, is as follows : 

The pious father of perhaps an only son, on his death- 
bed, requested his son to come to his bed side, and told him 
that now, as he was about to leave him forever, as an ex- 
pression of his parental love, he intended to make him heir 
of his estate. He had, however, a request to make, name- 
ly, that he would, after his death, shut himself up in his 
chamber one half hour of each day. He wished him now 
solemnly to promise to perform this thing, as an expression 
of his filial love, and as a condition of inheriting his estate. 
The son assented, and accordingly, after the sad rites of his 
father's burial were performed, and his countenance was for- 
ever hid from his eyes, he retired daily into his chamber, 
wondering at first, why he was required to do so ; but, left 
thus to the reflections of his own mind, he soon perceived 
the design, and was subsequently by prayer and meditation, 
brought to commit himself fully to his Redeemer. 

Presuming, that you are convinced of the importance of 
secret prayer, as well as of prayer in general, I will endea- 
vor to assist you with some suggestions on the general sub- 
ject, and furnish you with some forms of prayer for private 
use. I furnish these forms, not because I think it necessa- 
ry for you to confine yourself to forms at all times and in 
all particulars. There are some things which may always 
be included in prayers ; and indeed they are the essentials 



244 



PRIVATE DUTIES. 



of Christian prayer. With these, however, there may and 
should be connected a variety according to the necessities 
of the Christian life, in its course of development in the 
world. 

Prayer should be studied and practiced ; and for this pur- 
pose, if for no other, forms are useful. In this department 
of Christian duty, as in every thing else, " practice makes 
perfect." In the performance of this duty, the most im- 
portant requisite is, the spirit of prayer. But it is also 
important, that you understand in what this consists. 

The first element of a spirit of prayer is a tender con- 
science, or in other words, a lively faith in God, as a real 
being, and as the rewarder of all who diligently seek him. 
A lively faith always, and in the first place, as it is active 
in prayer, includes the idea of dependence, and of rewards 
and punishments. " Faith is the substance of things hoped 
for, and the evidence of things not seen " — not seen with 
the natural eye, and the mere understanding. In the ex- 
ercise of prayer, the believing suppliant enters into the pres- 
ence of God with a sense of the reality of the existence and 
everywhere present power of God. He feels that he stands 
in the new heavens and new earth ; and is as certain of the 
existence of God, and of his ability to answer his promises 
to prayer, as he is certain of the existence of the solid earth 
on which he stands. This faith connects itself with the 
sense of dependence on a higher power, and of danger not 
only in respect to the body, but also, and especially in re- 
spect to the soul. In other words, it connects itself with 
the consciousness of physical dependence on a higher power, 
and with conscience, or a sense of spiritual dependence and 
accountability. Conscience condemns and urges faith to go 
in supplication to Him who alone can pardon, and from 
whom comes every good and perfect gift. 

The next element, in which a spirit of prayer consists, is 



PRIVATE DUTIES. 



245 



the understanding. When the soul moves toward God in 
the exercise of devotion, faith also affects the understanding. 
The understanding cannot produce faith ; but faith can illu- 
minate the understanding. When the Spirit of God begets 
faij;h in the soul, there is a reciprocal influence between 
faith and the understanding. Faith enlightens the under- 
standing, and the understanding, as it is informed, strength- 
ens faith. The better the mind understands the attributes 
and revelations of God, and the more it is exercised in look- 
ing at the dangers which surround the soul, the more will 
it stimulate prayer. The better it understands the duties 
incumbent on the believer, the stronger will be the faith. 

To use a form of prayer, therefore, without faith being in 
lively exercise, and without the mind being directed in 
thinking of the glory of God, and the particular wants which 
the occasion, and the circumstances of him who prays and 
those for whom he prays, suggest, is a vain repetition. I would 
prefer a petition in one's own words, suggested by a sense 
of besetting sins, and particular daily wants, together with 
a lively faith in the essential doctrines and facts of the gos- 
pel, and a knowledge of the nature and existence of the 
kingdom of God, to even that excellent and inspired form, 
the Lord's prayer itself, without the spirit of prayer. In 
using the Lord's prayer, as well as other forms, it is neces- 
sary to enter into the spirit which dictated it. It is neces- 
sary to have a knowledge of the comprehensive scope of 
these petitions, and of their application to our particular 
cases and necessities. And hence, in reference to the 
Lord's prayer, it is so very useful to study it, as it is ex- 
plained in the catechism. 

The mere gazing at a prayer-book, and going over the 
words of a prayer ; or, which is worse, gaping at images 
with a prayer-book in the hand, will be a useless exercise. 
It is but little more than " bodily exercise," into which the 



246 



PRIVATE DUTIES. 



soul does not enter with living consciouness, and to which 
it does not yield itself with the free activity of its own fac- 
ulties. Extemporaneous prayer, without its proper spirit, 
is liable to the same objection. 

If you are not prejudiced against forms, you can use them 
with as much benefit as extempore prayers of your own. 
There is, perhaps, this difference, that a well composed form 
is more likely to be in accordance with the divine will. 
There is this objection, however, to the constant repetition 
of the same forms in every particular, that it does not admit 
of that variety which is the necessary accompaniment of 
life and activity. There is a liability to fall into formalism, 
or " bodily exercise." Still, he who has the spirit of pray- 
er, if he is not prejudiced, will not object to the occasional 
use of forms, or to the nee of forms generally, with occa- 
sional extempore prayers. Whilst it is highly desirable, 
that much of your prayers, especially in secret, should be 
extemporaneous, yet there are certain parts in prayer, and 
a symmetry of these parts in good forms of prayer, which 
you would do well to study, in order that you may pray 
with the spirit and with the understanding. 

Prayer has been divided into the following parts, namely : 
Adoration ; Confession ; Petition ; Supplication ; Thanks- 
giving ; Intercession. 

It is not necessary to use these parts in the order in which 
they stand, nor to include the whole of them in every pray- 
er. We should commence with and dwell chiefly upon that 
which the occasion and circumstances most readily suggest. 
Your most urgent wants, if the mind is not kept in restraint, 
will bring such petitions to your memory as are required. 
"Whilst you exercise due reverence, you should come with 
the utmost confidence to the divine and good being, your 
heavenly Father, and unbosom your whole heart before 
him. Come boldly to a throne of grace, that you may ob- 



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tain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. The 
study of the Scriptures, particularly the Psalms and Epis- 
tles, and the study of the hymn hook, will afford you thoughts^ 
ideas, and expressions for extempore prayer. 

One thing it would be well to bear in mind also* namely, 
that the memory should be stored, not only with facts, but 
with their relation to each other, and with their use and 
bearing on the general interests of religion, and your spe- 
cial wants and blessings. In other w r ords, the mind should, 
in prayer, more in the way of argument and reason, in or- 
der that it may become the more sensibly affected with its 
wants. The sight of the eye should affect the heart, in or- 
der that the judgment may be convinced and the soul be- 
come more earnest in its petitions and thanksgivings. And 
lest you should be discouraged, in view of the imperfections 
of your performances in this duty, I will take the liberty of 
quoting from the writings of that esteemed authoress, Han- 
nah Moore. 

" We are often deceived as to the principle and the effect 
of our prayers. When from some external cause the heart 
is glad, the spirits light, the thoughts reasonable? the tongue 
voluble, a kind of spontaneous eloquence, is the result ; with 
this we are pleased, and this ready flow we are ready to 
impose on ourselves for piety. 

On the other hand, when the mind is dejected, the ani- 
mal spirits low, the thoughts confused ; when apposite words 
do not readily present themselves, we are apt to accuse our 
hearts of want of fervor, to lament our weakness, and to 
mourn that, because we have no pleasure in praying, our 
prayers have, therefore, not ascended to the throne of mercy. 
In both cases, we are apt to judge ourselves unfairly. These 
unready accents, these faltering praises, these ill expressed 
petitions may find more acceptance than the florid talk with 
which we were so well satisfied i the latter consisted, it mav 



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be, of shining thoughts floating on the fancy, eloquent words 
dwelling only on the lips ; the former was the sighing of a 
contrite heart, abased by the feeling of its own unworthi- 
ness, and awed by the perfections of a holy and heart- 
searching God. The heart is dissatisfied with its own dull 
and tasteless repetitions, which, with all their imperfections, 
infinite goodness may, perhaps, hear with favor. We may 
not only be elated with the fluency, but even with the fer- 
vency of our prayers. Vanity may grow out of the very 
fact of renouncing it, and we may begin to feel proud at 
having humbled ourselves so eloquently." 

There is, however a strain and spirit of prayer distinct 
from either of the above. It consists in an entire confi- 
dence, that God, through, and for the sake of Christ, will 
grant you the things you ask for and need ; such a confi- 
dence as you would have in a friend whom you saw before 
you, and who was abundantly able and willing to favor you. 
It is not merely an imagination, but an assurance of recon- 
ciliation through Christ, so that every doubt is taken from 
the mind. " He knows," as the apostle expresses it, " that 
he has the petitions he desired of God." He implicitly 
trusts, that, while he speaks, God will hear. " This is the 
perfection of prayer." 

AN INTRODUCTORY MEDITATION ON" PRAYER, BY BISHOP 

WILSON. 

How good is God ! who will not only give us what we 
pray for, but will reward us for going to him, and laying our 
wants before him. 

May I always present myself before God, with a firm 
hope in his promises and mercy ; — with great reverence to 
his infinite majesty ; — and with a full purpose of keeping 
God's commandments. 



PRIVATE DUTIES. 



249 



May tlie thoughts of eternity quicken my devotions ; my 
wants make me earnest; my backslidings make me perse- 
vere : and may I never willfully give way to any distract- 
ing thoughts. 

May I wait with patience, and leave it to thee, my God 
and Father, how and when to grant my petitions. 

He that has learned to pray as he ought, has got the 
secret of an holy life. 

It is of greater advantage to us than we imagine, that 
God does not grant our petitions immediately. We learn 
by that, that whereunto we have already attained, it was 
the gift of God. 

The best way to prevent wandering in prayer is not to 
let the mind wander too much at other times ; but to have 
God always in our minds in the whole course of our lives. 
The end of prayer is not to inform God, but to give a man 
a sight of his own misery; to raise his soul towards heaven; 
and to put him in mind, that there is his Father and his 
inheritance. 

A Prayer for Sunday Morning. 

[Book of Private Devotion.] 

Lord, I desire to begin the day and the week with thee. 
Let a solemn sense of thy presence be upon my mind ; and 
while I offer my supplications, in the name of my only Me- 
diator, the Lord Jesus Christ, comfort my heart by the as- 
surance that thou art nigh unto all them that call upon thee, 
even all such as call upon thee faithfully. 

1 acknowledge before thee, Lord, how unworthy I am 
to be numbered with thy children ; for I have sinned against 
thee, and thy wrath might justly have consumed me in a 
moment, and have sent me down to hell ;— but thou hast 
had mercy on me, and hast made known unto me by thy 
word, how I may be saved. 

21 



250 



PRIVATE DUTIES. 



I thank thee, Lord, for the opportunities which I am 
invited to enjoy this day, of hearing those blessed truths, 
the knowledge of which is essential to the salvation of my 
soul. Oh ! give me grace diligently to attend to thy word. 
Enable me to understand it, and make me anxious to im- 
prove by it, that the sermons which I hear may not rise up 
against me at the great day. 

Bless, gracious God, the ministers of thy gospel, espe- 
cially my own, who show unto us the way of salvation. Do 
thou teach them that they may be able to teach us. 
Lord, may thy word this day awaken my conscience, that 
I may see more evil in the nature of sin, more danger from 
the guilt of it, and be more earnest to secure an interest in 
Christ, the only Saviour. 

I beseech thee, Lord, to keep me this day from all 
worldly thoughts and words ; and may thy Spirit suggest 
such things to my mind as are suitable to this holy part of 
my time. Oh, may I keep thy Sabbath in a becoming man- 
ner, and love it as the best day of the seven, because it is 
a season dedicated to thy service ! Preserve me whilst in 
thy house, from a stupid and wandering frame ; strengthen 
my memory to retain what I hear, and make this day a time 
of real benefit to my soul, for which I may have reason to 
bless thee to all eternity, for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. 

Our Father, &c. 

Sunday Evening. 

[Book of Private Devotion.] 

Almighty and most merciful Father, blessed be thy name, 
that I have again heard the gospel of thy grace, and the 
invitations of my Saviour. I adore thee for that word, 
which is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path, 
and, above all, for my hope of peace with thee, through the 
Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world. O 



PRIVATE DUTIES. 



251 



make the duties of his gospel and the calls of his goodness 
more dear to my heart, that I may glorify him in my body 
and in my spirit which are his ! 

I thank thee, gracious God, for that undeserved compas- 
sion which has cast my lot in a Christian land. make me 
more anxious to show forth this gratitude, not only with my 
lips, but in my life, by giving up myself to thy service, and 
by walking before thee in holiness and righteousness all my 
days. Teach me, by thy Holy Spirit, that all my means 
of grace and all my opportunities of salvation must be ac- 
counted for in the clay of judgment ; and that to whom much 
is given, from them will be much required. 

Grant, merciful God, that the Sabbath now closing 
may promote thy glory and set forward the salvation of 
men, especially of those with whom I have worshiped ; that 
sinners may be converted, and that Christ may see in them 
of the travail of his soul and be satisfied ! 

Have mercy, God of love, upon my relations, and upon 
all who are near and dear to me ; and give them that god- 
liness which is profitable for all things ; which hath the 
promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. 

I commend myself to thy merciful protection this night. 
Be my defence in the hour of sleep and darkness ; and if I 
am permitted to see the light of another day, unite and sanc- 
tify my affections to love thee more and serve thee better, 
for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. 

Our Father, &c. 

A Morning Prayer for any day in the iveelc. 

Father of mercies and God of all grace, I thank thee, 
that my eyes are permitted to behold the light of this 
morning; and that I am in the enjoyment of life and health, 
and of a safe abode. It is owing to thy mercy, that I have 
not been consumed ; for if thou hadst marked my sins and 



252 



PRIVATE DUTIES. 



entered into judgment with me, I would not have lived to 
see the beginning of this day. My bed would have been 
my grave, hadst thou been strict in marking iniquity. I 
thank thee, God, that I am yet out of hell ; and that I 
yet enjoy the privilege of praying to and pleading with thee. 
My sins are many ; they are as a mountain which separates 
me from thee, and as an intolerable weight which sinks me 
to despair. that I might now feel the assurance of par- 
don ; and that I might now by faith appropriate to myself 
the merits of that one sacrifice of Christ accomplished on 
the cross. that I might now be enabled to look away from 
the vile picture presented in myself, to the glorious image 
of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. that my soul 
might appropriate to herself the gracious words, " Son, be 
of good cheer ; thy sins are forgiven thee." 

But, Lord, dare I hope, that so vile a sinner as I, can 
find acceptance at thy throne of grace ? I have sinned so 
grievously. I have been overcome by temptation again and 
again. I have fallen into sin, after I had fully resolved 
not to commit sin again, and after I had earnestly desired 
to be delivered from sinning. Lord, I fall before thee a 
condemned guilty criminal. 

Other refuge have I none ; 

Simply to thy cross I cling. 

Unto whom should I go, save unto thee ; for thou alone 
hast the words of eternal life. 

And have I named thy name and taken upon myself the 
profession of a Christian ? It is due to sovereign grace that 
I have been inclined thereto. Help me, therefore, to de- 
part from iniquity. Leave me not to myself, else I will 
fall. Hold me with thy powerful hand, and I shall be safe. 

may I not bring disgrace upon thy cause. May I not 
withhold from thee the sincere service of my heart. May 

1 not rob thee of thy due. May I not grieve thy Spirit by 



PRIVATE DUTIES. 



253 



my lusts. Help me, Lord, to slay my sinful affections 
and lusts. May the love of sinning depart from me, while 
I contemplate thee and thy ways. May the world be cru- 
cified unto ni3 and I unto the world. May I be dead unto 
the world, and alive unto God through Jesus Christ. 

[Extempore petitions may here be offered, suitable to the occa- 
sion and circumstances.] 

And finally, God, when I shall have done with the 
conflicts of earth ; and when my poor frail body shall mould- 
er in the dust, may my spirit be saved in the day of the 
Lord Jesus ; and in the glorious resurrection may I sit down 
with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and all the just made per- 
fect, in the kingdom of heaven above, and the glory shall 
be thine forever. Amen. 

Our Father, &c. 

An Evening Prayer for any day in the week. 

Almighty and ever-present God, who inhabitest eternity 
and the praises thereof ; and whose presence fills heaven and 
earth ; and who art God over all, it is in thy sight, that I 
bow myself in the depths of humility at the close of this day 
to render thee thanks for the many blessings thou hast be- 
stowed upon me during the day which is past and gone ; and 
especially for preserving my unprofitable life, and length- 
ening out my days thus far ; knowing, that, haclst thou dealt 
justly with me, I would no longer be in the land of the liv- 
ing, but long ere this would have gone the way of all the 
earth, and perhaps have been found unprepared to meet 
thee in judgment. 

By thy grace, I am what I am, temporally and spiritual- 
ly. It is in thee I live, and move, and have my being. 
Under a sense of my dependence and my duty, I beseech 
thee to pardon whatever thou hast seen amiss in me this 
day, as well as in all my past life. I beseech thee to give 
21* 



254 



PRIVATE DUTIES. 



me a consciousness of the pardon of my sins. Give me an 
assured confidence, which it is the province of the Holy 
Spirit to work in my heart, that not only to others, but to 
me also, remission of sin is given, merely of grace, only for 
the sake of Christ's merits. 

And may Christ be not only my righteousness, but my 
sanctification also ; for I know, that if Christ dwell not in 
me, the power of a new life, he cannot be my redeemer ; for 
without him I can do nothing. May I, therefore, have 
communion with thee through the Holy Spirit, and receive 
a token for good. May thy love be shed abroad in my 
heart by the Holy Spirit which is given to believers ; and 
may I, thereby, be more and more united to Christ the liv- 
ing head of the Church. 

[Extempore petitions as occasion may prompt.] 

And now I commit myself to thy fatherly protection du- 
ring the silent watches of the night ; for thou only makest 
me to dwell in safety. Yet I am sensible, that the night 
of death is approaching, and that, sooner or later, I must 
pay the debt of nature. Help me, therefore, Lord, to 
realize, that, whether waking or sleeping, 1 am thine ; and 
that, if thou shouldst call me this night to leave the body 
and appear in spirit, before thee, I am thine by everlasting 
bonds of love ; and praises everlasting shall be ascribed to 
Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen. 

Our Father, &c. 

The following topics may furnish matter for special 
prayers : 

New year's day ; birth day ; before receiving the sacra- 
ment ; for repentance ; for the assurance of pardon ; for 
faith ; for strength to resist temptation ; for watchfulness 
against sin, &c. ; for a blessing on reading the Scriptures ; 
for meekness; for spiritualized affections; for holiness; 
against wandering thoughts in prayer ; for a right use of 
time ; for divine guidance ; for humility ; for the love of 



PRIVATE DUTIES. 



255 



God : for patience under affliction ; under spiritual trouble ; 
gratitude to God : before going on a journey; for the spread 
of the gospel ; for resignation to the divine will ; in pros- 
pect of death. 

Ejaculatory prayers, and silent prayers during the occu- 
pations of the day, if offered in sincerity, will be answered. 
When rising in the morning it is well to offer ejaculations 
like the following : 

Lord, lift upon me the light of thy countenance, and give 
me peace through the blood of the cross. 

In the evening: 

I will lay me down in peace, and take my rest ; for it is 
thou, Lord, only that makest me to dwell in safety. 

Self-examination, daily, and especially before commun- 
ion, is important. 

A Prayer before Self-examination. 

[Book of Private Devotion.] 

Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who art of purer eyes 
than to behold iniquity, who searchest the heart and triest 
the innermost thoughts, I beseech thee now to assist me in 
looking into my own heart, and my own life. Feeling and 
acknowledging that my .heart is deceitful above all things, 
and desperately wicked, I beseech thee to show me to my- 
self. 

Enable me to try myself by the standard of thy holy 
word, and discover the true state of my soul ; give me re- 
pentance for my past sins, lively faith in Jesus Christ, the 
only Saviour from sin, deep humility before thee, and such 
tempers and dispositions as are meet for those who assem- 
ble round the table of our gracious Redeemer. These things 
I ask for his name's sake. Amen. 

In the discharge of this necessary and important duty, 
the Christian should remember, that every day he lives he 



256 



PRIVATE DUTIES. 



has a God to glorify, 1 Cor. 6 : 20 ; a soul to save, Phil. 
2 : 12, 13 ; repentance to seek and perform, Acts 5:31; 
Luke 13 : 3 ; a Saviour to believe in and imitate, Acts 16: 31; 

1 Peter 2 : 21 ; a body to mortify through the Spirit, Rom. 
8:13; graces and virtues to implore by earnest prayer, 
Phil. 4:6; Mark 11: 24 ; sins to weep over and forsake, 
Luke 7 : 28 ; Prov. 28 : 13 ; mercies and deliverances to re- 
member, Psal. 56: 12, 13 ; Psal. 103 : 1-4; a hell to avoid, 
Matth. 3:7; Psal. 9 : 17 ; a Paradise to gain, Rev. 2 : 7- 
10 ; an eternity to meditate on, Coloss. 3:2; time to re- 
deem, Ephes. 5 : 16 ; a neighbor to edify, Rom. 15 : 2 ; 
Luke 22 : 32; works of charity to perform, Matth. 25: 40; 
a world to fear, and yet to conquer, 2 Cor. 6 : 17 ; 1 John 
5:4; devils to combat, Eph. 6:12; passions to subdue, 

2 Cor. 10 : 5 ; Eph. 4 : 31, 32; and, perhaps, death to suf- 
fer, Luke 12 : 20 ; and judgment to undergo, 2 Cor. 5 : 5- 
10. And all these must be met and performed in the grace 
of Christ, and not in your own strength, which is perfect 
weakness, 2 Cor. 13 : 10 ; Phil. 4 : 13. 

QUESTIONS FOPv SELF-EXAMINATION. 

Morning. 

1. Have I this morning sought of the Lord his special 
grace and protection for the day ? 

2. Am I going forth in my own strength, or looking simp- 
ly to God alone to help and deliver ? 

3. Am I so sensible of my own weakness as ever to watch 
and pray ? 

4. Am I living by faith in a daily and simple dependence 
on God? 

5. Do I constantly remember, that I am accountable to 
God for a right improvement of the talents entrusted to me ? 

6. Have I determined to lay myself out this day for the 
glory of God ? 



PRIVATE DUTIES. 



257 



7. Are all the faculties of my soul engaged to render 
affectionate, intelligent, sincere, and resolute service ? 

8. Have I resolved, in the strength of God, to forsake 
all sins, however dear to me, particularly my besetting sin, 
whether it be pride, envy, malice, covetousness, impurity, 
fear of man, or any other sin ? 

9. Is it my earnest desire to abstain from the very ap- 
pearance of evil, and to keep myself unspotted from the 
world ? 

Evening. 

1. Did I this morning make my resolutions to walk close- 
ly with God, in dependence on his gracious assistance ? 

2. Have I this day put up petitions against my besetting 
sins ? 

3. What have I committed, and what omitted, to-day ? 

4. What mercies have I received this clay — answers to 
prayer — deliverance from evil — common or remarkable 
blessings ? 

5. What have I done this day for the glory of God or 
the good of my fellow-creatures ; or what opportunities have 
I neglected of promoting them ? 

6. Have I been enabled this day willingly to take up my 
cross ? 

7. Have I been watching to-day against the first risings 
of pride and worldly-mindedness ? Have I guarded against 
the appearance of evil ? 

8. Have I kept up a lively and humble dependence upon 
the divine influence, in the duties and emergencies of the day? 

9. With what success have I encountered the sins to which 
my circumstances'' or constitution most incline me ? 

10. Have I been looking to Jesus as my righteousness, 
my strength, and my example ? 

11. How have I improved my time this day? Have I 



258 



PRIVATE DUTIES. 



made any progress in religion ? Have I thought of death 
and judgment ? Have I walked with God ? 

12. Have I this day tried to mortify sin ? 

13. Have I prayed, and how ? Have I read the Scrip- 
tures, and how ? 

GENERAL QUESTIONS. 

1. Do I think much and frequently of God, and am I 
zealous for his glory ? 

2. Do I enjoy communion with God when I pray to him, 
or desire this ? 

3. Do I strive to hecome like him ? 

4. Am I actively desiring and seeking the good of all 
around me, even as I desire my own ? 

5. Is my love to others like that of Christ to me ? 

6. Have the miseries of others called forth compassion 
and efforts to relieve them ? 

7. Am I seeking the salvation of my fellow-creatures ? 

8. Is sin hateful to me ? Do I loathe it as the worst of 
all evils ? 

9. Have I an habitual mourning for sin ? 

10. Have I deeply felt my corruption and guilt before 
God ? 

11. Do I believe, that the Gospel is the appointed and 
only complete way of salvation ? 

12. Do I rest on the only hope of forgiveness — redemp- 
tion through the blood of Christ ? 

13. Am I so believing in Jesus as to rely upon him as my 
Saviour ? 

14. Am I truly grateful to God for his great salvation ? 

15. Am I evidencing this by a care to please him in all 
things ? 

10. Am I humble and lowly in mind, affection, and con- 
versation ? 



PRIVATE DUTIES. 



259 



17. Do the sufferings of Christ for sin affect my heart 
with godly sorrow ? 

18. Am I patient under crosses, trials, and injuries, and 
willing to suffer reproach for Christ's sake ? 

19. Do I quietly submit to God's painful dispensations? 

20. Do I hunger and thirst after righteousness ? 

21. Do I earnestly desire to obtain that righteousness 
which is through the faith of Christ ? 

22. Am I laboring to spread the gospel of peace ? 

23. Do I seek to know God more myself, and to diffuse 
his knowledge through the world ? 

24. Have I resigned myself to the will of God, to do and 
suffer his pleasure ? 

25. How do I spend my Sabbaths ? Do I not, in too 
many instances, employ these opportunities of mercy in un- 
profitable and sinful conversation ; in doing many unneces- 
sary works ; by travelling, visiting, &c, instead of improv- 
ing them, so as to promote the glory of God and my own 
spiritual advantage ? 

RESOLUTIONS.* 

1. Resolved, that I toill do whatever I think to be most 
to the glory of God and my own good, profit and pleasure, 
ON the whole, without any consideration of time, wheth- 
er now, or never so many myriads of ages hence ; to do 
whatever I think to be my duty, and most for the good and 
advantage of mankind in general — whatever difficulties I 
meet with, how many and how great soever. 

2. Resolved, to be continually endeavoring to find some 
new contrivance to promote the fore-mentioned things. 

*These resolutions are extracted from the life of that admirable Chris- 
tian, and acute reasoner, President J. Edwards. They seem to have had 
a powerful influence in forming his character. Of the seventy we select 
those which are here given. 



260 



PRIVATE DUT1E3. 



3. Resolved, never to do, be or suffer, any thing in 
soul or body, less or more, but what tends to the glory of 
God ? 

4. Resolved, never to lose one moment of time, but im- 
prove it in the most profitable manner I possibly can ? 

5. Resolved, to live. with all my might while I do live.* 

6. Resolved, never to do any thing, -which I should be 
afraid to do if it were the last hour of my life. 

7. Resolved, to think much, on all occasions, of my own 
dying, and of the common circumstances which attend death. 

8. Resolved, to be endeavoring to find out fit objects of 
charity and liberality. 

9. Resolved, never to do any thing out of revenge. 

10. Resolved, never to suffer the least motion of anger to 
irrational beings. 

11. Resolved, that I will so live as I shall wish I had 
done when I come to die. 

12. Resolved, to live so at all times, as I think it best in 
my devout frames, and when I have clearest notions of the 
gospel and another world. 

13. Resolved, to maintain a strict temperance in eating 
and drinking. 

14. Resolved, never to do any thing, which if I should 
see in another, I should count a just occasion to despise 
him for, or to think any way more meanly of him. 

15. Resolved, whenever I do any evil action, to trace it 
back, till I come to the original cause ; and then both care- 

* This is the full import of the Latin motto, "Dura vivimus vivamus," 
which was the motto of Dr. Doddridge's family coat of arms, and which 
he has thus paraphrased : 

Live, while you live, the Epicure would say, 
And seize the pleasures of the present day. 
Live, while you live, the sacred Preacher cries, 
And give to God each moment as it flies ; 
Lord, in my view, let both united be, 
I live in pleasure when I live to thee. 



PRIVATE DUTIES. 



261 



fully endeavor to do so no more, and to fight and pray 
with all my might against the original of it. 

16. Resolved, to study the Scriptures so steadily, con- 
stantly and frequently, as that I may find, and plainly per- 
ceive myself to grow in the knowledge of the same. 

17. Resolved, to strive to my utmost every week to be 
brought higher in religion, and to a higher exercise of grace, 
than I was the week before. 

18. Resolved, to be strictly and firmly faithful to my 
trust, that Prov. 20 : 6, (a faithful man, who can find f) 
may not be partly fulfilled in me. 

19. Resolved, always to do what I can towards making, 
maintaining, and establishing peace, when it can be done 
without an overbalancing detriment in other respects. 

20. Resolved, never to speak in narrations anything but 
the pure and simple truth. 

21. Resolved, never to speak evil of any person, except 
some particular good call for it. 

22. Resolved, to inquire every night as I am going to bed, 
wherein I have been negligent, what sin I have committed, 
and wherein I have denied myself ; also at the end of every 
week, month, and year. 

23. Resolved, never to speak anything that is ridiculous, 
or matter of laughter on the Lord's day. 

24. Resolved, never to do anything that I so much ques- 
tion the lawfulness of, as that I intend, at the same time to 
consider and examine afterwards, whether it be lawful or 
no ; except I as much question the omission. 

25. Resolved, frequently to renew the dedication of my- 
self to God, which was made at my baptism, which I sol- 
emnly renewed, when I was received into the communion of 
the Church, and which I have solemnly ratified this 12th 
Jan. 1723. 

26. Resolved, never to act as if I were any way my own, 
but entirely and altogether God's. 22 



262 



FRIVATE DUTIES, 



27. Resolved, constantly, with the utmost niceness and 
diligence, and the strictest scrutiny, to be looking into the 
state of my soul, that I may know whether I have truly an 
interest in Christ or no ; that when I come to die, I may 
not haye any negligence respecting this to repent of. 

28. Resolved, never to give over, nor in the least to 
slacken my fight with my corruptions, however unsuccessful 
I may be. 

29. Resolved, when I fear misfortunes and adversities, 
to examine whether I have done my duty, and resolve to 
do it ; and let it be just as providence orders it, I will as far 
as I can, be concerned about nothing but my duty and my 
sin, 

30. Resolved, never to do anything but duty ; and then 
according to Eph. 6 : 6-8, do it willingly and cheerfully as 
unto the Lord, and not unto man; knowing that whatever 
good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the 
Lord. 

81. Resolved, to exercise myself much in this all my life 
long, viz : with the greatest openness to declare my ways to 
God, and to lay open my soul to him ; all my sins, tempta- 
tions, difficulties, sorrows, fears, hopes, desires, and every 
thing, and every circumstance, according to Dr. Manton's 
twenty-seventh sermon on the 119th Psalm. 

32. Resolved, after afflictions, to inquire what am I bet- 
ter for them ; what good have I got, and what I might have 
got by them. 

CONFESSION OF SIN AFTER SELF-EXAMINATION. 

O Lord G-od Almighty, the judge of all the earth, keeping cov- 
enant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that 
keep his commandments, have mercy upon me a miserable sinner, 
coming back to thee in the name of Jesus Christ. My conscience 



PRIVATE DUTSES. 



263 



accuses me of many transgressions and mucli disobedience. If 
in any thing I have not greatly sinned, or have in a measure ful- 
filled thy will, this was thy work, and to thee alone he the praise. 
But, how unfaithful have I been to my engagments, and how 
often have I transgressed thy law and been disobedient to thy 
holy will ! 

I desire especially to confess and to bewail those sins, for which 
my own heart more particularly condemns me. 

And how much of my sinfulness is unknown to myself ! But 
thou art acquainted with all my ways. Oh, cleanse thou me from 
my secret faults, and all my known transgressions ! "Wash me 
through that precious blood which cleanses from all sin. Give 
me grace to look to Him who was pierced for my sins, and to 
mourn for them with that godty sorrow which works repentance 
unto salvation. 0, vouchsafe unto me a holy sorrow of heart, a 
lively faith in Christ and a sure hope of thy mercy through him, 
that I may, with a pacified conscience, a believing and penitent, 
and a grateful and thankful spirit, go to partake of the memorials 
of his death. Hear me for his name's sake. Amen. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 



THE CHURCH-MEMBER IN THE FAMILY ; HIS DUTY TO USE HIS 
INFLUENCE FOR THE SPIRITUAL GOOD OF HIS FAMILY; FAMI- 
LY PRAYER URGED ; FORMS OF PRAYER. 



" For I know Mm, that he will command Ms children 
and Ms household after him, and they shall keep the way of 
the Lord to do justice and judgment ; that the Lord may 
bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken" Gen. 18 : 
19. " I will walk loithin my house toitli a perfect heart," 
Ps. 101 : 2. 

The family is a very important sphere, in wMeh the church- 
member should develop the Christian spirit and Christian 
principles. His relation to the congregation does not ab- 
solve him from exerting a positive religions influence in the 
family, so far as it is possible for him to do so. His ac- 
tions, as occasion offers, should be referred to the will of 
God, as this may be gathered from his word. He should 
hold the word of God in reverence and respect, and, if ne- 
cessary, defend it. He should leave the impression as 
deeply as possible, on the minds of all in his family, that he 
regulates his conduct by the rules of the gospel, and by "the 
doctrine according to godliness/' He should conduct him- 
self with a " perfect heart," that is, with a genuine heart — a 
decided heart. He should be a decided Christian charac- 
ter, in order that it may be seen, unmistakably, that he 
wishes to be a Christian, and to act like a Christian ; and 
that he does not willingly hide his light under a bushel, but 
wishes it to give light to all who are in the house, Thus 



FAMILY DUTIES. 



265 



it should be, and thus it often happens that parents are the 
instruments of the conversion of their children, and that 
children are the instruments of the conversion of their pa- 
rents. 

There are religious duties, which the church-member— if 
he be yet a child — so long as he remains in the family cir- 
cle and afterward also, would do well to consider. The 
child who honors its father and mother, and obeys them in 
the Lord, has a security for prosperity in time and in eter- 
nity, which, certainly, they who break away from parental 
restraint do not possess. A parent's curse, though not 
expressed in form, but still sanctioned by the God of high 
heaven, will follow that child who despises and rejects the 
proper influence and counsel of its parents. The judgments 
of heaven often fall upon such disobedient ones, and they 
are cut off from the land of the living. 

I wish, however, chiefly to speak a few words to the 
church-member who is a parent. Your relation to the im- 
mortal souls of your children is such, that you are greatly 
responsible for the influence you exert upon them. It is 
your duty to command them ; to restrain them from what- 
ever is evil, and to direct them to that which is good. But 
it becomes you seriously to consider the manner, in which 
this is to be done. Your commands should be just, and 
reasonable, and conscientious ; or at least as much so, as it 
is possible for erring mortals to make them; and they should 
be accompanied with instructions on the reasons and prin- 
ciples of obedience. You should teach your child the way 
in which it should go. Much evil has been done by the ar- 
bitrary exercise of parental authority. By the forbidding, 
overbearing, and tyrannical manner in which some parents 
have ruled their children, parental authority, in their case, 
has been frustrated in its design. It is indeed their duty 
to be firm and unyielding in the exercise of a legitimate 
22* 



266 



FAMILY DUTIES. 



control over their children, and a failure to do so, is as 
great an error as a misuse of their authority ; still there is 
a happy medium, which they should endeavor to observe. 
The simple command, without regard to its being right or 
wrong, — prompted more by passion than by a conscientious 
regard to justice and the good of the child, and without con- 
vincing the judgment and commanding the reason of the 
child, is productive of harm. The simple command, " Do 
this," unaccompanied with the recognition of obedience to 
God and religious influence, if unreasonable and enforced 
in an un affection ate manner, will " provoke your children 
to wrath," and repulse rather than stimulate them to good 
deeds. 

While you command the performance of the temporal and 
religious duties, you should, at the same time, instil into 
the minds of your children good principles. They should 
thus become a law to themselves ; otherwise they will be not 
your children, but your unwilling slaves, performing your 
commands grudgingly. You should endeavor to implant 
and develop proper principles, principles of justice, honesty, 
truth, and Christian obedience in the minds of your children. 
"Parents should leave to their children a rich inheritance 
of pious precepts," is a sentiment, which deserves to be 
written in gold; and although it is but spelling-book author- 
ity, it is in entire accordance with the book of inspiration, 
and is of the utmost importance. The young man who pos- 
sesses good principles, may expect large success in the world 
anywhere. He has a patrimony, which is worth more than 
material wealth,— more than gold and silver. Nothing will 
compensate for the absence of good principles. No true 
prosperity will follow any one, save the upright character. 

But the true and full interests of your children, however, 
are higher than this world. The true and full object of this 
life cannot be obtained, except in connection with the object 



FAMILY DUTIES. 



267 



and interests of the life to come. They should be taught, 
therefore, their responsibilities in reference to a future 
state. They should be religiously educated and trained ; 
brought up under the nurture and admonition of the Lord, 
with a view to their becoming members of the Church in 
full connection. They should be instructed in the nature 
and design of their baptism, and questioned, that is, cate- 
chized in reference to the object of faith, the influences of 
the Holy Spirit, and the dealings of God with their souls. 
They should thus be prepared to become catechumens under 
the care of their pastor, and when an invitation is given, 
they should be directed by the parent to go and attend cat- 
echetical lectures. This is the system of the German Reform- 
ed Church, and we think it is the most excellent way.* 

The reason why our ministers cannot prevail upon persons 
to attend catechetical instruction, is because parents do not 
have that control over their children, which they should 
have ; or where they do possess it, they do not exercise it 
in urging them to attend the catechetical class. In some 
places the parent church-members are themselves opposed 
to the practice of catechizing, because they fall in with the 
prejudices of some of the sects against it. And in some in- 
stances, ministers yield to this current of opinion, without 
any efforts to stop it. The fault of so few attending the 
solemn convocation for catechizing, lies, in a great measure, 
at the door of the minister. In this respect, the adage, 
" Like priest, like people," is fulfilled, as well as in others. 

The Church needs a great awakening to a sense of her 
duty in this respect. Why do you not, if you are a consci- 
entious church-member, employ the authority, which God has 

" x " We would here recommend to the use of parents in catechising their 
children, the li Palatinate Catechism," or the "Exercises on the Heidel- 
berg Catechism," and especially the " Heidelberg Catechism Simplified," 
in the case of small children. 



268 



FAMILY DUTIES. 



given you, in directing your children to use that most 
excellent means for preparing them to offer spiritual 
sacrifices, catechizing by the pastor of your Church ? 
Certainly the patriarch Abraham, who combined in himself 
the character of pastor and parent, would not have object- 
ed to such a course ; for it was said of him : " I know him 
that he will command his children and his household after 
him." For his part, the writer of these lines will ever 
thank God, that his venerated father, now in the grave, 
though very imperfect in his own example, gave to him, his 
son, the friendly advice to attend lectures on the catechism. 

But your commands on religious principles, and religious 
motives, to religious duties, should be accompanied with a 
good example by yourself. And this example should cul- 
minate, or centre in family worship of some kind or other, 
even if it be no more than asking a blessing at the table. 
The family altar is the place where the incense of praise 
and prayer should constantly burn, so that all, who come 
in contact with that family, may be affected by the light 
and heat thereof. In proof of the collateral benefits of 
family prayer, the writer can testify, that his own honored 
pastor, himself the son of a pastor, received some of his ear- 
ly and most serious religious impressions, by hearing an 
elder of his father's church, asking a blessing on his daily 
meal. For his own sake, however, and that of his family, 
the Christian will not regret, when he comes to die, that he 
knelt down every clay and prayed, though it should have 
been only the publican's prayer, " God be merciful to me 
a sinner." Indeed, family prayer is a most important mark 
of a Christian family; and I am inclined to the opinion, that 
Archbishop Tillotson spoke the sober truth, when he said : 
" The principal part of family religion is prayer, every 
morning and evening, and reading some portion of Scrip- 
ture ; and this is so necessary to keep alive a sense of God 



FAMILY DUTIES. 



269 



and religion in the minds of men, that where it is neglected, 
I do not see how any family can, in reason, be esteemed a 
family of Christians, or, indeed have any religion at all." 

A synopsis of the Heidelberg Catechism will here be 
given, as taken from the Palatinate Liturgy ; and a few 
forms of prayer shall conclude the chapter. 

IVhat is necessary for man to know in order to be saved? 

Three things : First, how great his sins and miseries are. 
In the next place, how he maybe delivered from his misery. 
Thirdly, how he may thank God for such deliverance. 

I. OF THE MISERY OF MAN. 

1. In what does the misery of man consist? 

In his being a poor sinner, and meriting, on account of 
sin, eternal damnation. 

2. Whence may sin be known f 

Out of the ten commandments of God, which no man can 
keep, because they require not only an outward, but also 
an inward perfect obedience of the entire man. 

The ten commandments are the following : 

I. 

Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 

II. 

Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any 
likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the 
earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou 
shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them ; for I the 
Lord, thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of 
the fathers upon the children, unto the third and fourth gen- 
eration of them that hate me, and shewing mercy unto thou- 
sands of them that love me and keep my commandments. 

III. 

Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in 
vain ; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless, that taketh 
his name in vain. 



270 



FAMILY DUTIES. 



IV. 

Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy ; six days 
shalt thou labor and do all thy work, but the seventh day is 
the Sabbath of the Lord thy God ; in it thou shalt not do 
any work, thou nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man- 
servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy 
stranger that is within thy gates. For in six days the Lord 
made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and 
rested the seventh day : wherefore the Lord blessed the 
Sabbath day, and hallowed it. 

v. 

Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be 
long upon the land" which the Lord thy God giveth thee. 

VI. 

Thou shalt not kill. 

VII. 

Thou shalt not commit adultery. 

VIII. 

Thou shalt not steal. 

IX. 

Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. 

x. 

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house; thou shalt not 
covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his man-servant, nor his 
maid-servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is 
thy neighbor's. 

3. How may we icnow that we are condemned on account 
of sin ? 

From the curse of God threatened against all transgres- 
sors of the ten commandments, as it is' written: Cursed is 
every one, that continueth not in all things, written in the 
book of the law. to do them. 

But whence comes this misery, that we are such poor 
sinners ? 



FAMILY DUTIES 



271 



From the fall and disobedience of our first parents, Ad- 
am and Eve, in Paradise. 

II. OF man's deliverance. 

5. How are we delivered from this 'misery $ 

God gave His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to be our 
Redeemer and Saviour. 

6. Is there hut one Grod? 

Yes, there is but one only God, yet in three distinct per- 
sons, namely, God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, 
as the articles of our Christian faith teach. 

7. What are these articles? 

I. I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of 
Heaven and Earth, 

II. And in Jesus Christ his only begotten Son, our Lord : 

III. Who was conceived of the Holy Ghost, born of the 
Virgin Mary : 

IV. Suffered under Pontius Pilate ; was crucified, dead, 
and buried : He descended into Hell : 

V. The third day he arose from the dead. 

VI. He ascended into Heaven, and sitteth at the right 
hand of God the Father Almighty. 

VII. From thence he shall come to judge the quick and 
the dead. 

VIII. I believe in the Holy Ghost. 

IX. I believe in the holy Catholic Church : The commu- 
nion of saints. 

X. The forgiveness of sins : 

XL The resurrection of the body ; 
XII. And the life everlasting, Amen. 

8. Who is Jesus Christ? 

He is the only begotten Son of God, and the Son of Ma- 
ry, as stated in the above articles ; that is He is very God, 
and very man in one person. 



272 



FAMILY DUTIES. 



9. Why had he to be very man f 
That he might suffer death for us. 

10. Why was it necessary for Him to be very God t 
That He might conquer death, and give us eternal life. 

11. From what then hath Re delivered us ? 

From sin and all the power of the devil, and from eter- 
nal death, so that He hath procured for us, on the other 
hand, righteousness, the Holy Ghost, and eternal life. 

12. How did He procure this redemption f 
By his sufferings, death, and resurrection. 

13. How are we made partakers of his redemption $ 
Alone through faith. 

14. What is true faith f 

It is a certain assurance and hearty confidence in the 
promise of God, that for Christ's sake He will be merciful 
unto us. 

15. Whence may we derive this assured confidence ? 
From the promise of the gospel : He that believeth on the 

Son hath everlasting life. 

16. Since then we are made partakers of Christ, and of 
the redemption He procured for us, by faith alone, of what 
use are the sacraments f 

They serve to strengthen our faith. 

17. How many sacraments are there in the New Testa- 
ment f 

Two : holy baptism, and the holy supper of the Lord. 

18. What are the words of the institution of holy bap- 
tism f 

" Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them 
in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy 
Ghost ; he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; he 
that believeth not shall be damned. 

This promise is also repeated, where the Scriptures call 
baptism the washing of regeneration and the purging away 
of sins. 



FAMILY DUTIES. 



273 



19. What are the words of the institution of the Lord's 
Sapper f 

•" The Lord Jesus, in the same night in which he was be- 
trayed, took bread : And when he had given thanks he 
break it, and said, Take eat : this is my body, which is 
^broken for you ; this do in remembrance of me. After the 
same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, 
saying : This cup is the New Testament in my blood : this 
do ye, as often as ye drink it, in remembrance of me," &c. 
(See 1 Cor. 11 : 28-30, and 1 Cor. 10-16.) 

III. OF THANKFULNESS. 

20. Row may a Christian show his gratitude to Cfodfor 
his salvation? 

By a Christian life, and believing prayer. 

21. Hoiv may a Christian life be led ? 
By doing good works. 

22. What are good ivorhs ? 

Such as God has enjoined, and are done in true faith, and 
to the glory of God. 

23. Why are good worlcs necessary ? 

Not that we may thereby be saved, but that thus we may 
prove our gratitude to God, since he hath enjoined them, 
and they are an evidence of our faith. 

24. How must ive show our gratitude to Q-od by prayer f 
By calling on Him in all times of need, and thanking 

Him for all his benefits. 

25. But hoiv should we address Q-od in prayer ? 
After the manner that our Lord Jesus Christ hath taught 

us: " Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. 
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is 
in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us 
our debts, as we forgive our debtors ; and lead us not into 
23 



274 



FAMILY DUTIES 



temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the 
kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. 

The Liturgy also contains a selection of Scripture passa- 
ges applicable to every condition in life ; and in introducing 
them, holds the following language : " The Holy Scriptures 
not only teach in general how we may lead a godly and* 
Christian life, but also direct each one, in every particular 
station, age, and calling, how to conduct himself in the path 
upon which God has placed him. The most important pas- 
sages are, therefore, collected in the following table, that 
every one may the better know how to conform his conduct 
to the word of God." 

Of Kings and Princes.— -Deut. 17 : 19 ; Ps. 2 : 10, 11. 

Of Councils, Officers, Counselors, and Judges. — Ex. 18 : 
21, 22; 2 Chron. 19: 6, 7. 

Of Subjects.— -Rom. 13 : 1-6. 

Of Preachers, Elders, and Beacons. — Ezek. 3: 17-19; 
Acts 20 : 28 ; 1 Peter 5:1-4; Rom 12 ; 7-8. 

Of Hearers.— Deut. 17 : 10-13 ; Heb. 13 : 17 ; Coloss. 
3: 16-17; 1 Tim. 5: 17. 

Of Schoolmasters and Schoolmistresses. — Matth. 18 : 5- 
7 ; Mark 9 : 37. 

Of Scholars.— Vrov. 8: 10-11, and 12: 1. 

Of Married Persons in general. — Heb. 13 : 4. 

Of Husbands.— Eph. 5:25; Coloss. 3; 19; 1 Peter 3 : 7. 

Of Wives. — Eph. 5 : 22, 23, 24 ; Coloss. 3 : 18 ; 1 Peter 
3 : 1-6. 

Of Parents.— Bent. 6: 6,7; Prov. 23 : 13, 14, and 13: 
24, and 19 : 18. 

Of Children.— -Prov. 1 : 8, 9 ; Eph. 6 : 1-3. 

Of Masters and Blistresses. — Coloss. 4:1; Fph. 6 : 9. 

Of Servants and Handmaids.— Eph. 6 : 5-8 : 1 Peter 2 : 
18. . 

Of the Aged.— Titus 2: 1-5. 



FAMILY PRAYERS. 



Of the Youth.— 1 Peter 5 : 4, 5 ; Ps. 119 : 9 ; Isaiah 3 : 
16, 17. 

• Of the Rich.— I Tim. 6:6, 9, 17, 19. 
Of the Poor.— Prov> 28 : 6 ; James 2 : 5. 
General Passages. — Matth. 7 : 12 ; John 13: 34, 35. 

FAMILY PRAYERS. 

Sunday 'Morning. 
» [Rev. William Jay.] 

come, let us worship and fall down, let us kneel before 
the Lord our Maker, for He is our God, and we are the 
.people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. 

Yes, Lord we are Thine ; and Thee we are bound to 
serve. We grieve to think how many of our fellow creatures 
live without Thee in the world ; and confess with shame 
that other lords have had dominion over us : but hence- 
forth by Thee only will we make mention of Thy name. 
We hope Thou hast subdued the insensibility and indiffer- 
ence towards thyself, so awfully natural to us, and awaken- 
ed in us the inquiry, Where is God my Maker, that giveth 
songs in the night*? We hope we are disposed to acknowl- 
edge Thee in all our ways ; but we feel our need of the ex- 
ercises of devotion. We trust we hold communion with 
Thee every day ; but we find week clays to be worldly days; 
and our allowed intercourse with secular concerns tends to 
reduce our heavenly impressions, and to make us forgetful 
of our work and of our rest. We, therefore, bless Thee for 
the return of a day sacred to our souls and eternity ; a time 
of refreshing from the presence of the Lord ; in which, by 
waiting upon Thee, our hearts are enlarged, and our strength 
is renewed ; so that we can mount up with wings as eagles, 
run and not be weary, and walk and not faint. 

This is the day which the Lord hath made, we will rejoice 
and be glad in it. let our minds be withdrawn from the 



€ < FAMILY PRAYERS. 

world, as well as our bodies. Let our retirement be devout, 
preserved from vain thoughts and vain words. Let our 
meditation be sweet. Let our conversation be edifying. 
Let our reading be pious. Let our hearing be profitable— 
and on Thee may we wait all the day ! 

Afford us the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. None 
can need thy succors more than we. Thou knowest our 
infirmities— let Thy strength be made perfect in our weak- 
ness. Oar duties are far above our own power — let Thy 
grace be sufficient for us. Our dangers are numberless, and 
we are utterly unable to keep ourselves from failing— hold 
Thou us up, and we shall be safe. The burdens we feel 
would press our lives down to the ground— lay underneath 
us thine everlasting arms. While in the world we have trib- 
ulation. In Thee may we have peace ; and in the multitude 
of our thoughts within us, may Thy comforts delight our 
souls. 

Yet, Lord, we would remember, that gratitude becomes 
us much more than complaint. Our afflictions have been 
light, compared with our guilt ; and few compared with the 
sufferings of others. They have all been attended with 
numberless alleviations; they have all "been needful; all 
founded in a regard to our welfare ; all designed to work 
together for our good. We bless Thee for what is past ; 
and trust Thee for what is future ; and cast all our care 
upon Thee knowing that Thou cares t for us. 

Thou hast commanded us to pray for all men, so that we 
are bound by our very devotions, as we have opportunity, 
to do good unto all men, especially unto them that are of 
the household of faith. May we always cherish and display 
benevolent dispositions towards our dependents ; forgiving 
dispositions towards our enemies ; peaceable dispositions to- 
wards our neighbors ; and candid dispositions towards our fel- 
low Christians. May we be able to say with our Lord and 



FAMILY PRAYERS. 



277 



Saviour: whosoever shall do the will of myFather that is in 
heaven, the same is my brother, and sister and mother ; and 
pray with Paul, Grace be with all them that love our Lord 
Jesus Christ in sincerity. 

May the goings of our God and King be seen, this day, 
in every Christian sanctuary. Go with us to thy house and 
give testimony to the word of thy grace. May it have free 
course, and be glorified in the hearts and lives of those who 
shall hear it May it enlighten the ignorant ; awaken the 
careless ; reclaim the wandering, establish the weak: com- 
fort the feeble minded ; and make ready a people prepared 
for the Lord ! 

Remember those who are this day denied our advantages. 
Be a little sanctuary to them in the midst of their priva- 
tions ; and let them know that Thoa art not confined to 
temples made with hands. And forget not those who 
never enjoyed our privileges ; never smiled when a Sabbath 
appeared ; never heard of the name of a Saviour ; and let 
thy way be known on earth, thy saving health among all 
nations ! Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy 
name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be clone in earth, as 
it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And 
forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors ; and lead us 
not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is 
the kingdom, and the power f and the glory for ever. Amen. 

Sunday Evening. 

[Rev. William Jay.] 

Who is like unto Thee, Lord, among the gods ? Who 
is like unto Thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, 
doing wonders ? May we approach Thee with the humility 
which is due to Thy greatness, and the hope that becomes 
Thy goodness. For though Thou art high, yet hast Thou 
respect unto the lowly ; and though continually adored by 
22* 



278 



FAMILY PRAYERS. 



thrones and dominions, principalities and powers, yet Thou 
despisest not the prayer of the destitute, but wilt hear their 
prayer. Our fathers cried unto Thee, and were delivered. 
They trusted in Thee and were not confounded. And Thou 
never saidst to the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain. 

Behold a company of sinners at Thy footstool, earnestly 
praying to be remembered with the favor Thou bearest un- 
to Thy people, and to be visited with Thy salvation ! We 
would not overlook the blessings of the life that now is. 
if we have food and raiment, and agreeable connections, 
and ease and health, and safe abode, we would bless Thee • 
for we have no claim to these bounties, and our present con- 
dition renders them valuable. But they are not our God ; 
Give what thou canst, without Thee we are are poor, 
And with Thee rich, take what Thou wilt away. 

Thou art the strength of our hearts, and our portion forev- 
er. Whom have we in heaven but Thee; and there is none 
upon earth that we desire beside Thee. 

And praise waiteth for Thee, God, in Zion. We long 
to be able, with unshaken confidence, to apply the promises 
of Thy grace to ourselves; and to say, Thou shalt guide me 
with Thy counsel, and afterwards receive me to glory. 
say to our souls, in language our consciences can understand, 
I am Thy salvation ; and give us a token for good, that we 
may rejoice in Thee. 

Yet, God, we would not rest satisfied with a conviction 
of our relation to Thee, while we are regardless of improv- 
ing it. May we walk worthy of the Lord, unto all pleasing, 
being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the 
knowledge of God. 'We can never discharge the obliga- 
tions Thy abundant mercy has laid us under; but we may 
ever show that we are sensible of them ; and that our impres- 
sed hearts are asking, what shall I render unto the Lord for 
all his benefits towards me ? While we hear Thee savins 



FAMILY PRAYERS s 



279 



do not that abominable thing which I hate, may we be 
effectually deterred from sin, and induced to watch and pray, 
lest we enter into temptation. May Thy love be shed 
abroad in our hearts, that none of Thy commandments may 
be grievous. May Thy glory be dear to us ; may we in- 
quire after Thy will with impartiality, and conform to it 
with diligence. Uphold us by Thy free Spirit ; and let 
the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts 
be acceptable in Thy sight, Lord our strength and our 
redeemer. 

Hitherto we have been compelled to exclaim, My lean- 
ness, my leanness I We have been no better in religion 
than a bruised reed or smoking flax. But it is our mercy 
that Thou dost not despise the day of small things, and our 
encouragement, that thou givest more grace ; that Thou hast 
promised to perfect that which concerneth us ; ■ and com- 
manded us to ask and receive, that our joy may be full. 

Thou knowest what is in man, and what is necessary to 
him. Thou art not only addressing us continually by the 
voice of creation, and the varying events of Thy providence, 
but Thou hast given us Thy word and Thine ordinances. 
We behold our Sabbaths, our eyes see our teachers, and our 
ears hear the joyful sound of salvation by the cross, and the 
grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Prophets and righteous 
men desired to see the things that we see and did not see 
them, and to hear the things that we hear, and did not hear 
them. But blessed are our eyes, for they see ; and our ears 
for they hear. Yet we would remember, that our respon- 
sibility will be answerable to our talents : that our chief 
danger results from our greatest privileges ; and that our 
yery blessings may be converted into a curse. We would, 
therefore, fear, lest a promise being left us of entering 
into Thy rest, any of us should seem to come short of it. 

Bless this family. May those of us who are at the head 



280 



FAMILY PRAYERS. 



of it, walk within our house with a perfect heart, and set no 
wicked thing before our eyes. May we have a testimony 
in the bosoms of those who have the best opportunities of 
observing us, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with 
fleshly wisdom, but by Thy grace, we have our conversation 
in the world, and more especially to them-ward. May we 
conduct ourselves towards those who serve us, as knowing 
that we have a master in heaven, and that there is no re- 
spect of persons with God ; and may our servants, in fulfill- 
ing the duties of their station, serve the Lord Christ. May 
we train up our children in the nurture and admonition of 
the Lord ; and have the inexpressible satisfaction of seeing 
them walk in the truth. We ask not great things for them 
of a worldly nature : only give them health of "body, and 
soundness of mind, and food and raiment convenient and 
sufficient 'for them ; but bless them with all spiritual bles- 
sings, and number them with Thy saints in glory everlast- 
ing. Pity those parents whose hearts are bleeding over 
children of disobedience ; and hear all the pious, whose ir- 
religious relations are forcing them often to exclaim, How 
shall I endure to see the destruction of my kindred ! 

Hear the prayers which have been offered this day for 
our native country, for our rulers, and for the government 
under which we live. It is a good land which the Lord our 
God has given us. Thou hast done great things for us 
whereof Ave are glad. May we never grow insensible of our 
privileges, and provoke Thee by our sins to remove them. 
May they be continued to the latest posterity, and be sanc- 
tified to us and our children. As Thou hast given us such 
a distinguished rank among the nations, may we be for a 
name and a praise to Thee in the whole earth ; and as we 
are so largely the subjects of thy goodness, may we be the 
instruments too ; and from us may the word of the Lord 
sound out into every land. a 



FAMILY PRAYERS. 



281 



Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly 
above all that we ask or think, according to the power that 
worketh in us, unto Him be glory in the Church by Christ 
Jesus, throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. 

Monday Morning. 

[Eev. William Jay, abridged.] 

thou God of all grace ; the Father of mercies ; the 
hope of Israel, the Saviour thereof in time of trouble : Why 
hast Thou revealed thyself in such lovely characters and 
endearing relations, but to meet our dejections, to remove 
our fears, and induce us to say, It is good for me to draw 
nigh unto God ! 

[Occasional petitions may here be offered on any or all of the 
following topics : 

The purpose for which we come to God, such as pardon of 
sin, kc. 

The manner — in submission to God; method of salvation — 
through J esus. 

Access by the Spirit — the Holy Comforter, who has actuated 
the souls of God's people in all ages. 

For assistance to make Jesus our chief joy — our repose in dis- 
tresses of conscience and afflictions of life. 

To feel that we are strangers and pilgrims. 

While we remain, to be the salt of the earth and light of the 
world — not ashamed of Jesus, but strong and courageous. 

For heavenly teaching, to see divine things in a divine light,] 

Accept our united thanksgivings for the preservation and 
refreshment of the past night ; and take us under Thy guid- 
ing and guardian care this day ; and whether we eat or 
drink, or whatever Ave do, may we do all to the glory of 
God, through our Lord and Saviour. Amen. 

Monday Evening. 

[Rev. William Jay, abridged.] 

We have heard, that to the Lord our God belong mercies 



282 FAMILY PRAYERS. 

and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against him. 
Hence we are encouraged to approach Thee. For we are 
verily guilty/ we are deeply guilty. If our depravity has 
not always broken forth into action, our hearts have been 
deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked ; and if 
our transgressions have not been so gross as those of many 
of our fellow-creatures, they have been more aggravated, 
because committed against goodness the most astonishing, 
light the most clear, and advantages the most distinguish- 
ing. And Thou hast seen all, and abhorred all, and couldst 
easily and righteously have punished us for all. But thou 
hast not executed upon us the fierceness of thine anger, be- 
cause Thou art God and not man. More than all Thou 
didst devise means for our restoration to Thy favor, and 
image, and presence. 

[Occasional petitions on any or all the following topics : 

Bless G-od for the purpose of grace before the world began, and 
in the fulness of time accomplished in Christ. 

Kejoice that He has given us the dispensation of the Spirit. 
- Bless God for a declared gospel. 

Supplication for joy and peace in believing for sentiments and 
tempers conformed to the example left us ; for self-sacrificing de- 
votion to God and his cause, in return for his love to us. 

For grace not to wound Christ in the house of his friends, rath- 
er to die than bring reproach upon his cause ; for the increase of 
the number who love his salvation.] 

We praise Thee as the length of our days and the God 
of our mercy. In the morning we committed ourselves to 
Thy care, and Thou hast been with us in our going out and 
our coming in, and hast kept us in all our ways. Pardon 
whatever Thou hast seen amiss in us through another period 
of our time. Accept the charge of us through the approach- 
ing night, and grant us the sleep which Thou givest to Thy 
beloved ; for we hope we desire it not only as creatures, but 



FAMILY PRAYERS. 



283 



as Christians ; not' only to gratify our feelings, but to re- 
new our. strength for Thy service, and to fit us to glorify 
Thee in our bodies as well as in our spirits, through our 
adorable Redeemer. Amen. 

Tuesday Morning. 

[Rev. William Jay, abridged.] 

Thou omnipresent and omniscient Jehovah ! Thou art 
about our path, and our lying down ; and Thou art acquaint- 
ed with all our ways. There is not a word in our tongue, 
but lo ! Lord, Thou knowest'it altogether. Thou under- 
standest our very thoughts afar off. Yea the darkness 
hideth not from Thee, but the night shineth as the day ; the 
darkness and the light are both alike to Thee. 

Known, therefore, unto Thee are all our sins with every 
aggravation ; and our necessities, with all their circumstan- 
ces. Yet Thou requirest us to confess our guilt, and to 
spread our wants before Thee, in order that we ourselves 
may be suitably affected, with them, and be prepared for the 
promised displays of Thy goodness. 

[Occasional petitions on any or all of the following topics : 

Acknowledgment of God's mercy and our deserts ) we are not 
consumed ) we have been unmindful ; rebelled ; loved the crea- 
ture more than the creator ; we have crowned all our guilt by ne- 
glecting thy salvation. 

O deal not with us after our deserts ; we love thy salvation ; 
shine into our hearts. 

We extend our wishes beyond the little circle now kneeling in 
thy presence, to absent connections. 

We would remember them that are in bonds, as bound with 
them.] 

Let glory dwell in our land, and upon all the glory may 
there be a defense. Do good in Thy good pleasure unto 
Zion ; build Thou the walls of Jerusalem. Make bare thine 



284 



FAMILY PRAYERS. 



arm in the sight of all the nations ; and let all the ends of 
the earth see the salvation of our God. 

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of 
God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost be with us all, 
now and evermore. Amen. 

Tuesday Evening. 

[Rev. William Jay.] 

Thou who wast, and art, and art to come, the Al- 
mighty ! With Thee is the fountain of life. In thy pres- 
ence there is fulness of joy, and at Thy right hand there 
are pleasures for evermore. It is our privilege as well as 
our duty to draw near to Thee. It is the prerogative of 
our nature, that of all creatures in this lower world, we 
alone are made capable of knowing, resembling, serving 
and enjoying Thee. All our degradation and misery have 
been produced by our alienation and absence from 'Thee; 
and all our happiness and perfection depend upon our re- 
union and intercourse with Thee. We, therefore, bless 
Thee for the revelation Thou hast given us, and by which 
we learn, that Thy thoughts towards us are thoughts of 
peace and not of evil. 

[Occasional petitions on any or all of the following topics : 

Adoration, in view of the new and living way into the holiest 
by the blood of Jesus. 

Supplication, that its design may be accomplished in us. 

Confession— lament that his service has been so little our em- 
ployment and our enjoyment; after all our instruction, our ears 
are yet so dull of hearing ; the sacrifice of a broken heart and a con- 
trite spirit Thou wilt not despise. 

Prayer for the supply of the Spirit of Jesns Christ; decision of 
character ; always to realize the divine presence; patience and sub- 
mission under the trials of life. 

Our amictions are few ; more reason to be thankful than to 
complain. Bless the Lord, our souls.] 



FAMILY PRAYERS. 



285 



We praise Thee for the protection, the supplies, and the 
comforts of another day. Take us under Thy care for the 
night on which we have entered. May no evil befal us, nor 
any plague come nigh our dwelling. Eefresh our bodies 
and renew our strength by needful repose, and when we 
awake, may we still be with God, and rise to love Thee more 
and serve Thee better than we ever have done, through our 
Lord and Saviour, to whom be glory for ever and ever. 
Amen. 

Wedn esday Morn in g, 

[Rev. William Jay.] 

Again we lift our eyes unto the hills from whence cometh 
our help. Our help is in the name of the Lord God, who 
made heaven and earth. 

Thou art the author of all existence, and the source of 
all blessedness. We adore Thee for making us capable of 
knowing Thee : for possessing us with reason and conscience, 
and for leading us to inquire, Where is God my Maker, that 
giveth songs in the night ? We praise Thee for the revela- 
tion of the gospel. Here we look into Thy very heart, and 
see that it is the dwelling place of piety. Here we see 
Thy thoughts toward us, and find that they are thoughts of 
peace and not of evil. Here we see Thee waiting to be 
gracious, and exalted to have mercy. 

[Occasional petitions on any or all of the following topics : 

To be found in the number of those, who not only hear, but know 
the joyful sound, and seek with earnestness, and immediately, 
what is requisite to our eternal interests, because our time is short; 
that we may obtain ere the harvest is past. 

For the experience of a present salvation, in the comforts and 
renewings of the Holy Ghost. For deliverance from the disposi- 
tion of the slave, and to be upheld by Thy free Spirit, 

For simplicity and godly sincerity. 

24 



286 



FAMILY PRAYERS. 



For benevolent dispositions ; freely having received, freely to 
give. 

Thanksgiving, that the lines have fallen to us in pleasant pla- 
ces. May we invite others to taste and see that the Lord is 
good.] 

God, count us worthy of this calling, and fulfill in us 
the good pleasure of Thy goodness, and the work of faith 
with power ; that the name of the Lord Jesus Christ may 
be glorified in us, and we in Him, according to the grace of 
our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. 

Wednesday Evening. 

[Rev. William Jay, abridged.] 

Thou that nearest prayer — through Him who is the 
great intercessor, let our prayer come before Thee as in- 
cense, and the lifting up of our hands as the evening sacri- 
fice. We bless Thee as our Creator, the framer of our bod- 
ies, and the former of our souls within us. We praise Thee 
for the blessings of Thy providence which encompass us on 
every side, and are continued to us, notwithstanding our 
unworthiness. 

But, above all, we thank Thee for thine unspeakable gift. 
Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that God loved 
us, and sent his Son to be a propitiation for our sins. 
[Occasional petitions on any or all of the following topics: 
Prayer for union with Christ ; for faith and pardon ; for grace 
to conform to his meek example in doing good, and especially to 
the household of faith ; for the spread of his kingdom or govern- 
ment. 

Desire to give evidence of the sincerity of our prayers, by ex- 
ertions and sacrifices, by cooperation with his ministers; by adorn- 
ing his doctrine in our respective stations.] 

And let us not labor in Yain, nor spend our strength for 
nought. May we be the honored instruments of saving 



FAMILY PRAYERS. 



287 



some soul from death ; and of producing joy in the presence 
of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth. 

Above all, render us successful among those who are 
more fully under our instruction, influence and authority. 
May we rule well our own house ; and have the pleasure to 
see all the members of our family, fellow citizens with the 
saints, and of the household of God ; of whom, and through 
whom, and to whom are all things ; to whom be glory for- 
ever and ever. Amen. 

Thursday Morning. 

[Rev. Willliara Jay.] 

Lord, Thou art good, and Thou doest good. Thou 
hast revealed thyself as nigh unto all that call upon Thee, 
to all that call upon Thee in truth. May we who now ad- 
dress Thee be found the heirs of this promise ; nor suffer 
us to incur the reproach of drawing nigh to Thee with the 
mouth and honoring Thee with our lips, while our hearts 
are far from Thee. Unite our hearts to fear thy name ; 
and grant that we may worship Thee in spirit and rejoice 
in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. We 
remember that we are sinners, and conscious of our guilt 
we could indulge no hope hadst not thou revealed a Media- 
tor, in whom thou art reconciling the world unto thyself, 
not imputing their trespasses unto them. 

[Occasional petitions on any or all of the following topics : 

Acknowledgment of mercies; Providential mercies; God has not 
left himself without witness in this respect. Spiritual mercies. 
The sending of his Son. With God is mercy. That mercy the 
publican sought. That mercy disappoints not. One thing is needful 
above what we eat or drink or are clothed with. 

Supplication for the comforts of the Spirit ) for piety, and wis- 
dom, and the Christian temper ; for disengagement from the pres- 
ent evil world, and love to the saints of God ; for grace to enable 
us to walk by faith j to weigh both worlds, so that the eternal 
may preponderate.] 



288 



FAMILY PRATERS, 



By thy mercies we renew this morning the consecration 
of ourselves to thy service. Go forth with us to the con- 
cerns of the day. Keep us in all our ways. Innumerable 
are our dangers ; but the greatest of all is sin. Uphold our 
goings, therefore, in thy word, and let not iniquity have 
dominion over us. May we abstain from all appearance of 
evil ; and the very God of peace sanctify us wholly ; and 
may our whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blame- 
less unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

And to God only wise, the Father, the Son, and the Ho- 
ly Ghost, be ascribed all honor and praise forever and ever. 
Amen. 

Thursday Evening. 

[Rev. William Jay.] 
God, thy greatness is unsearchable. Thy name is most 
excellent in all the earth. Thou hast set thy glory* above 
the heavens. Thousands minister unto thee, and ten thou- 
sand times ten thousand stand before thee. We feel our- 
selves in thine awful presence to be nothing, less than noth- 
ing, vanity ; nor do we presume to approach thee because 
we are deserving of thy notice— for we have sinned— we 
have incurred thy righteous displeasure— we acknowledge 
that thou art justified when thou speakest, and clear when 
thou judgest. 

[Occasional petitions on any or all of the following topics : 

Accept our approach, for thou art nigh unto them who are of a 
broken heart ; with the multitude of others, may we be pardoned, 
&c. ' 

Prayer for mercy ; for conviction of sin both as to its penalty and 
pollution • for faith in Christ, 

Prayer for a higher state of piety; for life, and life more abun- 
dantly j that we may not question our state, and that the imper- 
fections of our religion may be removed. For patience under suf- 
fering j when reviled, to revile not again, walking in the steps of 
Him who left us an example. 



FAMILY PRAYERS. 



289 



Prayer for a happy end in view of the changes of the world ; 
honoring God in the life that we may glorify him in death. For 
forgiveness of the sins of the past day.] 

And now, thou keeper of Israel, we commit our souls 
and bodies to thy all-sufficient care. Suffer no evil to befal 
our persons, and no plague to come nigh our dwelling. May 
our sleep be sweet ; or if thou boldest our eyes waking, may 
we remember thee upon our bed, and meditate on thee in 
the nio-ht-watches. 

And with the innumerable company who never slumber 
nor sleep, and who rest not day and night, we would join in 
ascribing blessing and honor and glory and power unto Him 
that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, forever 
and ever. Amen. 

Friday Morniny. 

[Rev. "William Jay.] 

thou whose name alone is Jehovah, the most high over 
all the earth ! When we consider thy majesty and thy pu- 
rity, and reflect upon our meanness and guilt, how shall we 
come before the Lord, or bow before the high God ? But 
we are encouraged to approach thee, by the revelation thou 
hast given us of thyself as the Lord God, gracious and mer- 
ciful ; and by the mediation of thy dear Son. We are as- 
sured that He put away sin by the sacrifice of himself ; and 
being raised from the dead, entered into the holy place, 
there to appear in the presence of God for us. 

[Occasional petitions on any or all of the following topics : 
Supplication for assurance of faith in drawing near to God ; not 
to offend God still more by our unbelief; for receiving Christ im- 
mediately and fully ; for love and delight in his salvation ; for full 
consecration ; for proving our hope, by its purifying us from sin, 
weaning us from the world, and causing us to live with our conver- 
sation in heaven. For patience to submit to the trials of the pres- 
ent time, looking for the appearing of the great God, &c. 



290 



FAMILY PRAYERS. 



For upholding grace, as we cannot trust in our own hearts and 
purposes.] 

And now unto Him that is able to keep us from falling, 
and to present us faultless before the presence of his glory 
with exceeding joy ; to the only wise God our Saviour, be 
glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and for- 
ever. Amen. 

Friday Evening. 

[Rev. William Jay.] 

God, the day is thine; the night also is thine. Thou 
makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice. 
The heavens declare thy glory ; the earth is full of thy rich- 
es, and so is the great and wide sea. Thou art the maker, 
and sustainer, and proprietor of all things. We are the 
creatures of thy power, and the beneficiaries of thy bounty. 
But we have sinned against heaven and before thee, and are 
not worthy of the least of all the mercies and truth which 
thou hast showed us. We are of those that rebel against 
the light ; for we have resisted the dictates of our conscien- 
ces ; the demands of thy law ; the admonitions of thy provi- 
dence ; and the calls of the gospel of peace. 

[Occasional petitions on any or all of the following topics : 
Confession of divine mercy, in that we are yet in the land of 
the living. 

Flee for refuge to the Saviour. 
_ Prayer : to be found in Him ; to be delivered from the disposi- 
tion of men of this world; to feel the heart of strangers and pass 
the days of sojourning here in fear; not to be cast away from thy 
presence in our journeyings; nor to have the Holy Spirit taken 
from us; to keep us from falling.] 

These are great blessings for us to ask ; but we are un- 
done forever without them ; and thou hast encouraged us to 
hope for them. We plead thy command and thy promise : 



FAMILY PRAYERS. 



291 



"Ask and it shall be given you ; seek and ye shall find ; 
knock and it shall be opened unto you." No suppliant, 
however unworthy or guilty, was ever rejected or insulted 
at thy footstool. And we come in the name of Him who 
made intercession for the transgressors. Him thou nearest 
always — and to Him, with the Father, and the Holy Spirit, 
be praises forever and ever. Amen. 

Saturday Morning. 

[Rev. William Jay.] 

God, thou art great and greatly to be feared. And 
thou art also merciful and gracious ; long suffering and 
abundant in goodness and truth. May we so feel our sin- 
fulness as to be humbled in the dust before thee, and filled 
with self-condemnation and self-despair ; but let us not shrink 
back from thy presence, and be afraid to place our faith 
and hope in the God of love. Help us to remember, that 
if we have no claim on the footing of desert, we can plead 
thy promise and invitation ; and if the blessings we want 
are infinitely great, they are dispensed as gifts whose free- 
ness delights in the unworthiness of the receiver. 

[Occasional petitions on any or all of the following topics : 
Confession : neither deny nor palliate guilt ; have refused thy 
calls. 

Prayer : for change of nature ; washing of regeneration ; for 
wakefulness and attention ; for improving transient moments ; for 
remembrance, that this is not the place of our rest, that we must 
progress ; for preparation for every changing scene ; for remem- 
brance, that trials are blessings in disguise ; for grace to walk by 
faith.] 

We would not forget those that are in affliction. Do not 
thou, God, forget them. Whatever be their losses or 
distresses, help them to say, Yet the Lord thinketh upon 
me. May they know that thy thoughts toward them are 



292 



FAMILY PRAYERS. 



thoughts of peace and not of evil, to bring them to an ex- 
pected end, though it may be by a painful passage. Com- 
fort those who are on beds of languishing. Enter the house 
of mourning. Be the father of the fatherless, and the hus- 
band of the widow, and the friend and helper of the poor 
and needy — and have mercy upon all men. 
Our Father, &c. 

Saturday Evening. 

[Rev. William Jay. ] 

God, thou art glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, 
continually doing wonders. And it is not one of the least 
of thy wonderful works that we are yet on this side of an 
awful eternity, and not reaping the due reward of our deeds. 
We look on each other this evening with astonishment, and 
exclaim, it is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consum- 
ed. Our whole life has been a scene of provocation against 
thy divine majesty ; and if we, with all our ignorance and 
self-love, can see so much depravity in ourselves, what must 
have presented itself to thy view, thou, who knowest all 
things, in whose sight the very heavens are not clean, and 
who seest more pollution even in our duties than we ever 
found in our sins ! There is no health in us. We have no 
works or worthiness to excite thy regard ; and if ever we are 
saved, it must be according to thy own purpose and grace, 
in Christ Jesus. 

[Occasional petitions on any or all of the following topics : 

Come in the dear name of Him who loved us, and rnaketk inter- 
cession, and who alone is our dependence. 

Prayer : to be made partakers of Him, who makes free, puts 
the law into our hearts, and writes it in our minds ; for sanctify- 
ing our every relation, office, transaction, and condition in life ; 
to be concerned principally for the soul's prosperity ; to be disen- 
gaged from, and elevated above the elements of the world. 



FAMILY PRAYERS. 



293 



For sanctifying all our religious opportunities. Implore a "bless- 
ing on the solemnities of the Sabbath j not to wait on God in 
vain.] 

And, thus, by all the discipline of thy family, and the 
ordinances of thy house, may we grow in grace, and in our 
meetness for the inheritance of the saints in light. And 
when the evening of life itself shall arrive, and we are call- 
ed to retreat from every mortal care, may we close the pe- 
riod of toil and trouble, by falling asleep in Jesus, and open 
our eyes on the rest that remains for the people of God, and 
enter the temple above, to go no more out. And may the 
grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and 
the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with us all, now and 
forever. Amen. 

A Prayer in time of the Cholera or other epidemic disease, 

[Translated from the German.] 

Almighty God ! we give thee hearty thanks, that thou 
hast graciously preserved, and so mightily defended us from 
our youth up to the present time; and that thou hast called 
us by thy saving word to the hope of eternal life. Alas, 
our God ! we would confess from the heart, that, no less 
than others, we have offended thee by our sins, and that 
w T e well deserve the present raging epidemic of poisonous 
pestilences and diseases. Thou art true in thy threatenings, 
and righteous in all thy judgments ; we, however, must take 
to ourselves shame ; for we have transgressed thy commands, 
and sinned in many ways : therefore the curse with which 
thou hast threatened us has come upon us. We have poi- 
soned the atmosphere, as it were, with our offensive, pollu- 
ting sins ; and hence the more justly, the fiery dart of sick- 
ness has been hurled upon us. 

But, Lord, thou art also merciful, gracious, patient and 
of great goodness ! Deal not with us after our sins, nor 



294 



FAMILY PRAYERS. 



enter into judgment with us according to our transgressions; 
but be gracious to us, for the sake of Jesus Christ. Pu- 
rify us by the precious blood of Christ, and wash us, that 
we may be white as snow. Sanctify and govern us by thy 
Spirit, that we may repent and fall into thine arms. 

Thou art our comfort, our strong tower, our God, in thee 
do we hope and trust. Deliver us from the snare of the 
fowler, from the noisome pestilence : cover us with thy 
feathers, that under thy wings we may "not be afraid for 
the terror by night, nor for the arrow that flieth by day ; 
nor for the pestilence which walketh in darkness, nor for 
the destruction that wasteth at noon day." Protect us that 
no evil may befall us, and no plague come nigh our dwelling. 
Give thine angels charge concerning us, that they may pro- 
tect and keep us in all our ways ; that they may bear us in 
their arms, that we dash not our foot against a stone. We 
earnestly desire it of thee, therefore do thou hear us ; 
we know thy name, therefore do thou supply us; we 
cry to thee, Lord ! therefore do thou help us. Be with 
us in this time of need ; deliver us from our perils, and 
show us thy salvation. 

But if it be thy will to visit us with punishment, or to take 
us entirely from this world, bestow upon us steadfastness 
in the faith, strengthening comfort, and joyful hope, and 
patience, through the power of thy Holy Spirit. Soothe our 
pains, shorten the death-pang, turn away the power of Sa- 
tan ; and take up our souls into thy hands, for the sake of 
Jesus Christ our deliverer and Saviour. Amen. 

A Prayer for a newly Married Pair. 

[Rev. William Jay.] 
Bless those who have just entered a state honorable in 
all. May they remember the vows they have left at the 
altar, and in the discharge of their personal and relative 



FAMILY PRAY ESS. 



295 



duty, may they make thy word their rule, that mercy and 
peace may be upon them. May the husband love his wife 
eyen as himself, and the wife see that she reverence her 
husband, and both walk together as heirs of the grace of 
life, that their prayers be not hindered. 

Preserve them from the evils which destroy or diminish 
the welfare and comfort of the condition in which thou hast 
placed them ; and may they enjoy all the happiness deriva- 
ble from prudence, temper, accommodation, real godliness, 
and the divine blessing. 

May they expect to discern infirmities in one another, 
but may they always be most deeply conscious of their own, 
And let them not look for unattainable, by looking for un- 
mingled bliss on earth ; but remember that this is not our 
rest, and be prepared for difficulties, trials changes and 
final separation. 

A Prayer for one going on a journey. 

[Translated from the German.] 

Heavenly Father, merciful and faithful God ! I give thee 
hearty thanks, that thou hast thus far guarded me, 
and conferred upon me so much that is good, both temporal 
and spiritual. Be gracious unto me, Lord, I beseech 
thee, and pardon all my iniquities for Christ's sake. Sanc- 
tify and renew me more and more through the power of 
thy Holy Spirit, that I may daily better my life, proceed 
in that course in which thou wouldst have me to go, and 
serve thee with that holiness and righteousness which is well- 
pleasing in thy sight. 

Holy Father ! do thou further guide and lead me upon 
my journey, by the protection of thy beloved angel, that I 
may be secure against murderers and robbers, against poi- 
sonous atmosphere and epidemic diseases, and against strife 
and war and disaster. Grant unto me, Lord, food and cloth- 



296 



FAMILY PRAYERS. 



mg, and lead me in the right way which I ought to pursue; 
and grant thy blessing to my design, in order that all may 
promote thy glory, and be, on the whole, for the best, and 
redound to the present and everlasting well-being of myself 
and my friends. 

Keep and preserve, to this end, all those who are dear to 
me, and what thou hast given me ; and grant that we may 
meet each other again in health and peace. Especially, I 
beseech thee, my God ! to preserve me from every artifice 
and wicked device of Satan, and of his emissaries and in- 
struments. Keep and strengthen in me the true and saving 
faith, the Christian love, patience and hope; and grant that 
I may use the prosperity of this life with comfort and an 
unviolated conscience, and may end my career happily, and 
joyfully enter into heaven, my fatherland. 

To thee, Lord ! do I commend my going-out and my 
coming-in, from this time forth forever-more. Amen. 

A Prayer suitable for a sick person. 

[Translated from the German.] 

OLord, heavenly Father! Thou art a true God and 
faithful, and sufferest none of thy creatures to be tempted 
above that they are able ; but dost with the temptation, also 
make a way of escape that we may be able to bear it I 
beseech thee, in my great need and pain, permit not* the 
cross to become too heavy for me. Strengthen me, that I 
may bear it with patience, and never more be discouraged 
in view of thy mercy. 

Saviour Jesus ! the Son of the living God, who hast 
suffered the pain of the cross for me, and finally died for 
my sins, to thee do I cry from the bottom of my heart, be 
merciful to me a sinful being. Forgive all my misconduct 
toward thee, of which I have been guilty during my whole 
life. Keep me in true faith until my end. 



FAMILY PRAYERS 



297 



God the Holy Ghost ! thou true comforter in every 
time of need, keep me in patience and heartfelt supplication 
to God. Sanctify me with true assurance of faith, and leave 
me not in my great need. Lead me out of this valley of 
tears into the proper father-land. Amen. 

A Prayer suitable for a sick person, in anticipation of 

death. 

[Translated from the German.] 

Lord God and gracious Father ! I perceive that the 
time of my departure is near at hand. My life "will soon 
come to a close. May thy will be clone ! But, inasmuch 
as my heart yet suffers, and my weakness and distress are 
great, out of which thou alone canst deliver, Lord ! do 
thou soothe and shorten my death-pangs ! Withdraw thy 
chastening hand, that I may find rest and be refreshed, be- 
fore I go hence, and be no more. A great anxiety for 
soothing comfort, and a fear lest it will be withheld, possess 
my breast. Lord take my soul freely to thyself, and for- 
give my sins for the sake of Jesus. Strengthen my faith, 
impart unto me comfort, patience and steadfastness through 
the power of the Holy Spirit ; and help me happily to tri- 
umph and conquer. Amen. 

Another Prayer suitable for a sick person, ivho ivishes to 
dispose himself for death. 

Father of all grace ! have mercy upon my poor soul. 
Forgive all my sins, which I have grievously committed 
against Thee. Despise not thy poor creature ; disdain not 
me who am the workmanship of thy hand. Let not him be 
destroyed, whom thou hast made ; for in thee do I hope; 
thou art my help and my God. 

Jesus, thou true Saviour ! who art the Lamb of God, 
who hast borne the sins of the world ; who hast washed and 
25 



298 



FAMILY PRAVEKS. 



purified me in thy blood ; I beseech thee for the sake of 
thy bitter sufferings, especially through the pangs thou didst 
experience at the separation of thy noble and generous soul 
from the body, have mercy upon my poor soul in its depar- 
ture, and guide it to everlasting life. 

God the Holy Ghost ! Thou sweet Comforter I keep 
my heart against every attack of the enemy of my soul. 
Strengthen my faith, that I may believe in the forgiveness 
of sin and life everlasting. 

And now, Holy Trinity ! into thy hands do I commit 
my spirit ; for thou hast redeemed me, Lord God of truth, 
who livest and governest forever. Amen. 

A Prayer for the dying, by those who are present. 

[Translated from the German.] 

Merciful and beloved God and Father, who boldest the 
issues of life and death in thy hands ! Whilst thou dost 
thus heavily visit this, thy child, with that which is the com- 
mon lot of all, we would entreat thee, in true faith in the 
name of Jesus Christ, to be merciful to us and to this sick 
person, now lying on the verge of death. Pardon all his 
and our sins. Sanctify and strengthen us, and especially 
this sick person, with the power of the Holy Spirit. 

gracious God, thou Father of all mercies, behold the 
trembling heart, the feeble spirit, and the wounded limbs of 
the sick in mercy, and come thou quickly to his relief. Be 
thou in thy power, strength in his weakness. Soothe and 
shorten to him his great fears and pains. Comfort him, 
thou mighty comforter. Help, thou strong deliverer, and 
show us and him thy salvation. Preserve in him the true 
faith, the steadfast hope and patience : and if it be thy will 
that his death should take place now, do thou help him to 
triumph, by the power of thy Holy Spirit, and attain to 
everlasting life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 



FAMILY PRATERS. 299 

A Prayer of thanksgiving for one who has recovered from 
sickness. 

[Translated from the German.] 

My Lord, my God. my Comforter, my Deliverer, my on- 
ly helper in time of need ! to thee I give thanks, from the 
bottom of my heart, for the inexpressible and manifold ben- 
efits which thou hast conferred upon me a poor sinner ; but 
especially that, in my great need, in my sickness and mis- 
ery, thou didst graciously look upon me, and strengthen 
my heart, and hear my prayer, and graciously restore me 
to health. To thee I give thanks, Loud ! that although 
thou wast angry with me, thine anger was turned away, and 
thou comfortedst me again. How good is it to me that thou 
didst humble me I beloved Father ! thou hast chastened 
me, in order that I might not be condemned with the world. 
I was fearful lest I should not be comforted ; but Lord ! 
thou didst heartily receive and cheer me. What shall I ren- 
der to thee for all thy benefits to me ? I will thank thee 
all the days of my life, and make known thy glory forever 
and ever. When I sought thee thou didst answer me, and 
deliver me out of my distresses. Thou wilt not forsake 
those who seek thee. Thou nearest prayer, therefore every 
living creature cometh to thee. Thou art near to those who 
are of a broken heart, and savest such as be of a contrite 
spirit. 

my God ! impart unto me a heartfelt and permanent 
repentance, through the power of the Holy Spirit, for the 
sake of Christ ; in order that I may henceforth sin no more, 
lest a worse thing come upon me ; against which may I 
guard my soul all my life. Protect me also, henceforth, 
by thy holy angels, that they may keep me in all my wavs. 
And inasmuch as I must finally depart this life, do thou 
preserve and increase in me a true and saving faith, the fear 



300 



FAMILY PRATERS. 



of God, patience and comfort, with which I may manfully 
contend, happily conquer, and joyfully enter into the king- 
dom of heaven, to praise thee, Father, Son and Holy Spirit 
forever. To thee, the most high God, be praise, and hon- 
or, and thanksgiving ascribed throughout all eternity. 
Amen. 

Prayers before meat. 

Merciful Father, look down with tender compassion upon 
us. Commiserate us according to our several necessities 
and bless this food to the nourishment of these, our frail 
bodies. Pardon our imperfections, and ultimately receive 
us into the mansions of bliss. All which we ask for Christ's 
sake. Amen. 

Our heavenly Father, be pleased to bless us, thy unwor- 
thy creatures, and these thy gifts, which we receive from 
thy benign goodness, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Bountiful giver of every good and perfect gift ! Thou 
art never weary of supplying our returning wants. Subdue 
our hearts, that we may receive these and all other blessings 
with gratitude, and give us grace that, whether we eat or 
drink, or whatever we do, we may do all to thy glory through 
Jesus our Mediator and Redeemer. Amen. 

< Almighty God ! the eyes of all wait on thee, and thou 
givest them their meat in due season. Bless, we beseech 
thee, the provisions of thine earthly bounty, which are now 
before us, and let them nourish and strengthen our frail 
bodies, that we may the better serve thee, through Jesus 
Christ. Amen. 

Almighty God, be pleased to pardon our sins, and bless 
the refreshment now before us, to our use, and us to thy 
service, through Jesus Christ. Amen. 



FAMILY PRAYERS. 



801 



Bounteous God, we acknowledge our dependence on thee, 
and our unworthiness of thy benefits. We pray thee to forgive 
our sins, to bless us in the reception of this food, and to 
enable us to improve the strength we may derive from it, 
to thy glory, for Christ's sake. Amen. 

After Meat. 

We thank thee, God our heavenly Father ! for the in- 
numerable good gifts of thy providence. Especially do we 
thank thee for the rich provision thou hast made for our 
souls. Accept our grateful acknowledgments for the food 
we have now received; and enable us to prove our sincerity, 
by the holiness and obedience of our lives, for the sake of 
our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen. 

Accept, heavenly Father, our humble thanks for this and 
for all thy blessings, through Jesus Christ. Amen. 

We thank thee, our heavenly Father, for the rich provis- 
ions thou hast made for our temporal and eternal welfare; 
but especially for the food we have now received. May 
thy goodness lead us to repentance, and thy grace prepare 
us for heavenly entertainments, through Jesus Christ our 
Lord. Amen. 

We praise thee, Lord, for the provisions of thy provi- 
dence and grace, and, in particular, for this renewed token 
of thy favor. May we feel our increased obligations to be 
thine, and be fitted* at length to eat bread in thy heavenly 
kingdom, through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. 

We bless thee, Lord, for this kind refreshment. Be 
pleased to continue thy favors, and feed us with the bread 
of life ! Supply the wants of the needy, and enable us, 
while we live upon thy bounty, to live to thy glory, for 
Christ's sake. Amen. 
25* 



302 



FAMILY DUTIES. 



For want of room I cannot extend the collection of pray-* 
ers any further. 

The following occasions and subjects may call for special 
prayers suitable to them : 

The evening after a funeral; Christmas morning ; Christ- 
mas evening; last evening of the old year; first morning of the 
new year; Good Friday morning; Good Friday evening; Eas- 
ter Sunday morning ; Easter Sunday evening ; Whitsunday 
morning; Whitsunday evening; Fast day morning ; Fast 
clay evening; Thanksgiving day morning; Thanksgiving 
day evening ; for friends in different circumstances ; thanks- 
giving for creation— for redeemption— for the Church and 
the means of grace— for baptism— for the Lord's Supper— 
for the divine care — for the divine mercy — for preservation 
in dangers seen and unseen — for hearing prayer. 

Prayer before self-examination — for repentance — for true 
confession — for pardon of sins. 

Thanksgiving for pardon — repentance, and conversion. 

Prayer before communion — for true preparation — while 
partaking of the elements, offered silently. 

Thanksgiving for the spiritual nourishment of the Lord's 
Supper. 

Prayer for grace to improve the sacrament to edification 
and sanctification— for the Holy Spirit— for faith— for the 
new birth— for perfection of Christian character— for spir- 
itual joy and peace— for grace to lead a holy life— for true 
wisdom— for self-humiliation— for the .mortification of the 
old man — against besetting sin — for a good conscience — for 
imitating Christ— for the love of God— for child-like fear— 
for steady hope— for heartfelt trust in God— for the pres- 
ervation and prosperity of the Church— for full and entire 
love— for patience under trial— for true spiritual happiness 
—for holy obedience— for humility— for Christian mildness 
—for honesty and kindness to neighbors— for reconcilable- 
ness or meekness— for victory over Satan— for governing 



FAMILY DUTIES. 



303 



the tongue — against the attacks of the flesh, evil thoughts 
and lusts— for self-knowledge— -for a proper fulfilling of one's 
calling — for the necessaries of life— for a happy end — -in 
view of the judgment clay — in view of eternal life — para- 
phrase of the Lord's prayer—for our country and its insti- 
tutions—for our rulers — for the conversion of the world. 

It is desirable, that you should be constant and uniform 
in the exercise of prayer, both private and public. Many 
otherwise good and pious persons, are very fitful in the dis- 
charge of the duty of prayer, and, consequently, very ir- 
regular in the performance of every other Christian duty. 
This, however, is principally owing to their habits. They 
become habitually careless, and permit the slightest excu- 
ses to justify a neglect of prayer at times. In this respect, 
they are like persons who believe in falling from grace. If 
an individual does not believe in perseverance ; if he believes 
that he may fall from grace, and that it is a thing to be ex- 
pected, he will most likely fall and become lukewarm. 

There are two very important reasons, why you should 
be constant in prayer. The first is, your wants are constant. 
This fact is beautifully and forcibly expressed in an essay on 
prayer, chiefly by that esteemed authoress, Hannah Moore, 
which I beg leave here to quote : 

" If there be any day in which we are quite certain, that 
we shall meet with no trial from providence, no temptation 
from the world ; any day in which we shall be sure to have 
no wrong tempers excited in ourselves, no call to bear with 
those of others, no misfortunes to encounter, and no need 
of divine assistance to endure it ; on that morning we may 
safely omit prayer. 

" If there be any evening in which we have received no 
protection from God, and experienced no mercy at his hands; 
if we have not neglected a single opportunity of doing or 
receiving good; if we are quite certain^ that we have not 



804 



FAMILY DUTIES, 



once spoken unadvisedly with our lips, nor entertained one 
vain or idle thought in our heart ; on that night we may 
safely omit to praise God, and to confess our own sinfulness; 
on that night we may safely omit humiliation and thanksgiv- 
ing. To repeat the converse would be superfluous." 

Another reason in favor of constancy, especially in fam- 
ily prayer, is, that you thereby " let your light shine before 
men" as well as by your conduct in the congregation and 
in the world. To set a good example is a test of Christian 
character, and this example should be constant and uniform. 
If you cannot set a good example, what will become of you, 
and of those over whom you have an influence ? You and 
they will probably both be lost. 

The importance of setting a good example is shown by 
the following extract, taken from a newspaper, the " Pro- 
testant." The writer gives an illustration from memory, 
which was introduced into a sermon on the text : " Let your 
light so shine before men." 

" The preacher referred to a light-house near New York, 
for illustration. The light, which is a revolving one, had 
ceased to move, by reason of some derangement in the ma- 
chinery. As soon as the keeper discovered it, he ran to 
the proper position, and by manual labor kept steadily re- 
volving the light, until weariness compelled him to call 

another to his assistance. Then another took his turn 

and so during the live-long night, and the light kept its 
uniform revolution. A stranger astonished at the solicitude 
of the keeper, inquired the cause. 

" 6 Why,' said he, < there may be a hundred seamen look- 
ing out from the darkness and storm below, to catch a glance 
of this light. If it move not, it will be mistaken for anoth- 
er, and, in their uncertainty and danger, they may lose the 
channel and be shipwrecked.' 

How many happy hearts passed over Broadway next I 
day, all unconscious of the danger to which they had been 



FAMILY DUTIES. 



305 



exposed, but for the faithfulness and consideration of the 
keeper of the light-house. 

" Christian, the world is looking on you. You may not 
know who are below in the darkness and storm of life's 
troubled sea ; but you know the sea is stormy, and there 
are dangerous shoals to be avoided. Let your light give 
no uncertain gleaming on the gloom. Keep its motion uni- 
form and continued ! And when the day of eternity shall 
dawn, thousands may tread the streets of the new Jerusa- 
lem, who, but for the brightness and regularity of your 
light, might have made shipwreck of faith, and never moor- 
ed in the harbor of eternal safety." 

To promote your spirituality and enable you to be uni- 
form and regular in your deportment before others, it is 
highly advisable, that you attend to secret communion with 
God, and that you seek light and guidance, where alone 
they can be found, in God. Fall upon your knees in your 
closet, or go to some secret place where none but God can 
hear, and there let your voice ascend in earnest supplica- 
tion. Let your soul engage in fervent effectual prayer to 
God, who heareth in secret, and will reward openly. Here 
you can be particular and familiar; and utter petitions which 
you cannot express in family worship, and in a manner 
which you cannot employ in any public way. Thus you 
can keep your light trimmed and burning and obey the di- 
rection of the apostle, when he says, " Pray without ceasing." 

The times in which we live, call for praying Christians. 
We live in an especial manner under the dispensation of the 
Spirit, and if ever the " righteousness of Zion shall go forth 
as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that 
burnetii," it must be by the effectual, fervent prayers of the 
righteous, offered by the individual members of the Church, 
who are praying Elijahs. There is no use to disguise the 
fact, that God " will be inquired of" for the things which 
he bestows on the Church and the world. 



CHAPTER XXIV. 



THE CHURCH-MEMBER IN THE HOUR OF DEATH. 

" Set thy house in order, for thou shalt die and not live." 
And now, dear reader, having followed you through some 
oi your most important relations as a creature of God, from 
mtancy and the cradle, to manhood and maturity of under- 
standing, p erm i t me to giye you aR affeotionate farewe]] 

while I accompany you, in thought, to a death bed, and to 
tiie grave, and to heaven. 

_ Tim time will come when you will drop from the family 
circle, and the place which now knows you, will know you 
no more. Your weeping friends and relatives will stand 
around your bed-side, and see your last struggle ; or you 
may tail m a foreign land, away from home and kindred 
and by a sudden and unexpected casualty. 

At that trying hour, and especially during the pains of 
disease, you will need all the fortitude which your own mind 
can summon, and the Scriptures and the Spirit of God can 
bes ow in order that you may, with patience, possess your 
soul, ihe best preparation for death is to live in constant 
expectation of it, and with a yiew, by the assisting grace of 
trod, of triumph. ° ° 

Death is the great crisis, which will decide the fate of 
every human being. If i s the most important event in the 
History of human existence ; for as death finds us, so shall 
we be forever. Then shall be gathered up and completed 
tne sum total of our actions in this world, all of which will 
have a bearing on eternity. There is a time coming, when 



THE CHURCH MEMBER IN THE HOUR OF DEATH. SOT 



it will be no benefit to us to know, whether we have been 
distinguished or obscure ; whether we have been high or 
low, rich or poor ; whether we have enjoyed the honors and 
emoluments of the world, or whether we have been compell- 
ed to pass our days in obscurity and poverty. At the day 
of our death, it will be no benefit to us to have enjoyed the 
good things of this life, if we have neglected the interests 
of the world to come ; but it will be of everlasting benefit 
to us to have made our peace with God, our calling and 
election sure. 

The object of life should be to prepare for death. We 
live to do something, therefore we should live to die ; and 
if we would die happily, we must live righteously. We 
should live in constant preparation for death, so that, when 
the messenger comes, we may be ready. An elder of the 
Church, with whom I formed some acquaintance at the 
meeting of ministers and elders in Classis, when he came to 
die was asked by his pastor, whether he was ready, and 
what he thought in view of death. He replied, " Ah, broth- 
er, I have often thought of death, and now I am ready; yes, 
I am ready." And so it is, my dear reader, you should be 
prepared by thinking much and often of death, and of that 
which is after death. And the more so, because it may 
come as a thief in the night. " Watch, therefore, for ye 
know not at what hour your Lord doth come." 

One important duty, by way of preparation for death, it 
seems to me, from the nature of the case, as well as by an- 
cient and venerable usage, is the proper disposition of your 
possessions in money and property, provided you may have 
any surplus over and above your liabilities. Let the dis- 
tribution be made, as reason and conscience, and the objects 
of benevolence demand. The cause of God should lie near • 
est your heart ; therefore let the benevolent institutions and 
operations of the Church not be forgotten. It is doubtful. 



308 



THE CHURCH MEMBER 



■whether charity demands the heaping up of riches for chil- 
dren. It generally gives rise to quarrels among themselves, 
or makes them careless and voluptuous. They are more apt 
to squander, than improve such favors. Better, perhaps, 
for them, that they should struggle, like yourself, for use- 
fulness in the world. A good education is the best legacy 
which can be left to children. Having made such disposi- 
tion of your property as your conscience thinks most wise 
and prudent, you may bid farewell to earthly cares, and 
summon your spirit for its departure, to be with Christ, 
whenever he shall call for you. 

I will now suppose you to be upon a bed of sickness and 
in immediate prospect of death. Your pains and distress 
may be great, and you will need all the fortitude and pa- 
tience you are capable of exercising, to bear up under them. 
You may say within yourself, " Is it possible, that I can 
suffer so much ? Can my God permit his creature to be 
thus racked with pain ? Is it possible ? And if I can suf- 
fer thus here, what will it be hereafter with those who are 
unprepared to meet their God ? I shudder to think of it." 
Therefore, you should be chiefly concerned to have your 
sins forgiven, so that, out of this valley of sorrow, you may 
have a passage into eternal life. God's rod and staff can 
sufficiently support you in the valley and shadow of death. 
And remember, that these comparatively light afflictions,' 
which are but for a moment, will work out for you a far 
more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; provided you 
look not at the things that are seen and are temporal, but 
at the things which are not seen, and are eternal." 

Endeavor to glorify God, by submitting patiently to his 
chastening hand. Kiss the rod which smites you ; for he 
who smites does it not willingly, and from a spirit of re- 
venge, but as a necessary consequence of sin by the fall and 
disobedience of our first parents, Adam and Eve in Para- 



IN THE HOUR OF DEATH. 



309 



dise. Be not unnecessarily alarmed in view of the terrors 
of death ; for he, who has been your comfort in life, will 
also be your comfort in death. He has taken away the 
sting of death, which is sin. He will send his angels, 
who are ministering spirits to the heirs of salvation, to car- 
ry you into Abraham's bosom, and to the society of the 
holy saints. " Jesus has destroyed him, who had the pow- 
er of death, that is, the devil." He has destroyed his pow- 
er and circumscribed his influence, " and has delivered them 
who, through fear of death, were all their life-time subject 
to bondage." Jesus will send light and comfort to vou 
while you pass through the death-stream, although it may 
be when sight and speech shall fail you. Some he meets 
earlier, and some later, as they pass the valley of death. 

And here, allow me to say, it is no evidence, that Chris- 
tianity does not afford comfort in a dying hour, because some 
Christians, when they come to die, are uncomfortable and 
distressed a great part of the time ; for this may be owing to 
constitutional timidity and tenderness of conscience. Neith- 
er is distress of mind an evidence of the wan* of a gracious 
state ; for some besetting sin may trouble a conscientious 
Christian more, than a whole life o^ sin can trouble one 
whose conscience is seared as witi a hot iron, and dead to 
all that is true. Yet, in th<? last pang, when the soul is 
ushered into the present of God and angels, the former 
shall receive peace, and the latter shall then have his con- 
science awakened to roar like a lion and torment him for- 
ever. 

Joy and contentedness of mind is, of itself, no evidence 
of a gracious state ; for a soothing medicine may bring a 
person from a complaining and distressed state of mind, to 
a joyful and contented state. Yet, at some period in its 
passage through the dark valley — it may be when the soul 
is so far gone that it can no more make known its feelings 
26 



310 



THE CHURCH MEMBER 



by words— in the midst of bodily pain, the believer rejoices 
in the spirit of triumph. He then sees, that when heart and 

flesh fail him, God is the strength of his heart and his por- 
tion forever. Be not alarmed, therefore, if you have trust- 
ed in God; for " he will be with you, and uphold you with 
the right hand of his righteousness." Have faith in God, 
and he will bring it to pass. " Whosoever trusteth in the 
Lord, happy is he." Let your will be swallowed up in the 
will of God. If you suffer pain, it is the will of God; there- 
fore, say: " Not my will, but thine be done." Pray for 
divine help. Let the breath of prayer be wafted to heaven ; 
for " whosoever calleth on the name of the Lord shall be 
saved." Saved, not because a little prayer and singing at 
the couch of the dying will save them ; but because God will 
" save such as are of an humble and contrite spirit, and 
tremble at his word." He will renew and comfort those 
who sincerely repent. Among your dying words, may be 
those of the Saviour and the martyr Stephen: "Fath- 
er, into tfcy hands I commit my spirit." " Lord Jesus, re- 
ceive my sphit." 

| These are som^of the suggestions, and the advice I would 
give you, as you lea\* the world in the hour of death. And 
in the path which I havt, marked out to you in the preced- 
ing pages, it shall be my en^avor, and I trust the earnest 
endeavor of all the members of iV e Church militant, to fol- 
low. I, therefore, bid you farewell, and the Church on 
earth bids you farewell, while angels beoV n you to come 
away. Farewell. 

A MEDITATION AND PRAYER SUITED TO THE CASE OF A DYING 

CHRISTIAN. 

[Doddridge.] 

God ! "remember thy word unto % servant, on which thou 
hast caused me to hope." Permit me to consign ' this departing 
spirit to thine hand ; for thou hast redeemed it, O Lord God of 



IN THE HOUR OF DEAin. 



811 



truth.' Once more, for the last time, would I look down on this 
poor world which I am going to quit, and breathe out niy dying 
prayer for its prosperity, and that of thy Church in it. I have loved 
it, Lord ! as a living member of thy body ; and I love it to the 
last. I humbly beseech thee, therefore, that thou wilt guard it 
and purify it, and unite it more and more. Send down more of 
thy blessed Spirit upon it, even the spirit of wisdom, of holiness, 
and of love ; till in due time ' the wilderness be turned into the 
garden of the Lord/ and all flesh shall see thy salvation ! 

" As for me, bear me, my heavenly Father ! on the wings of 
everlasting love, to that peaceful, that holy, that joyous abode, 
which thy mercy has prepared for me, and which the blood of my 
Redeemer has purchased ' Bear me to the general assembly and 
church of the first-born, to the innumerable company of angels*, 
and to the spirits of just men made perfect. And whatever this 
flesh may suffer, let my steady soul be' delightfully fixed on that 
glory to which it is rising ! Let faith perform its last ofiice in an 
honorable manner ! Let my few remaining moments on earth be 
spent for thy glory, and so let me ascend, with love in my heart, 
and praise on my faltering tongue, to the world where love and 
praise shall be complete ! Be this my last song on earth, 
which I am going to tune in heaven : i Blessing and honor, and 
glory, and power, be unto Him that sitteth on the throne, and to 
the Lamb for ever and ever.' f} Amen. 

A Meditation on Deaths from the German of Schmolke, 
Translated by Mills. 

Tfeat I shall die, full well I know, 

All human, life is short and frail, 
No lasting good earn earth bestow, 
All portion here mast quickly faih 
That I may always be prepared 
For death, and for thy great award. 

When I shall die, to ask were vain ; 

Death does his work in varied forms ; 
To some with agonies of pain, 

And some gink peaceful in his arms, 



THE CHURCH MEMBER IN THE HOUR OP DEATH. 

Just as thou wilt : if, when 'tis past, 
My soul be found with thee at last. 

Where I shall die, I know it not, 

Nor where my ashes shall be laid ; 
Only be it my happy lot, 
With saints redeemed to leave the dead. 

Small care to me the place affords 

The earth throughout is all the Lord's. 

But when in death I shall recline,} 
Then let my soul ascend to thee ; 
Through Christ's redemption I am thine^ 

By faith his glories now I see 

Twill all be well ! I little prixe, 
Where, how, or when this body dies. 



C HAP TEE XXV. 



HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF DISTINGUISHED PERSONS IN THE 

CHURCH. 

I 

History of Samuel the prophet, and of Hophni, and PMn~ 
ehas, the sons of the priest Mi, adapted principally to 
young readers. 

It is often said by those who are strangers to true religion, 
and disbelievers in the revelation which God has given us, 
that a change of heart is not necessary ; that all that is re- 
quired is, to follow the dictates of reason and the promptings 
of our nature ; that it is necessary only to study the laws of 
nature and the Scriptures as they may be interpreted and 
used for mere moral suasion. Now this is a great mistake. 
We must be taught, not only by the word, but also by the 
Spirit of God, through the medium and means of his ap- 
pointment. This is illustrated in the history of Samuel the 
prophet, and of Hophni and Phinehas, the sons of Eli. 

There was, in the days of Eli, the priest, a woman nam- 
ed Hannah, and her husband's name was Elkanah. She 
had a son, whom she called Samuel, which means, " Asked 
from the Lord;" for she had prayed, that she might have a 
son. She promised herself, and promised the Lord also, 
that, if she should have a son, she would do all she could, 
to bring him up in a pious way. And more than this, she 
promised, that she would consecrate him to the Lord, to be 
a priest. Accordingly she commenced with him that course 
of training, which would fit him for the place she intended 
26* 



314 



HISTORY OF SAMUEL. 



he should occupy. She commenced it, of course, when he 
was yet an infant. 

Soon after Samuel's birth, the family of Elkanah went 
up to a place called Shiloh, to offer the yearly sacrifice ; for 
at that time, the people of Israel had no temple or church 
to worship in, and consequently for the time being, the Ark 
rested at Shiloh. The Ark, as you are aware, was a square 
chest, in which was placed Aaron's rod that budded, and a 
portion of the manna, which the children of Israel brought 
with them from the wilderness, and a copy of the law given 
by Moses. Wherever this Ark was, there God was present 
in a peculiar manner ; and in front of it, the people sacrifi- 
ced and offered religious worship. 

When the time came for the yearly sacrifice, Hannah 
said she would not go until the child was weaned; and then 
she would go and leave it there at Shiloh. « I will not go 
up," said she, "until the child be weaned, and then I will 
bring him, that he may appear before the Lord and abide 
there forever." So, when he was weaned, she took him up 
to Shiloh, where the Ark was, and where Eli the priest 
resided ; and she said to Eli, in substance : "I am the wo- 
man that prayed so earnestly here some time ago, whom 
you thought to be deranged or drunk with wine ; but I was 
neither deranged nor intoxicated. I prayed for this child, 
and the Lord heard my prayer; therefore, also I have brought 
him to you to consecrate him to the Lord for a priest. I 
lend him to the Lord. He gave him to me, and I lend him 
to him ; as long as he liveth, shall he be lent to the Lord." 

The age of Samuel, at this time, is not known ; only it is 
said, "the child was young." Yet young as he was, it is 
said, « he worshipped the Lord there." JSTo doubt by this 
time he was soundly converted to God, and though he was 
not united to Christ in that full and real way, as the branch 
is united to the vine, which was afterwards reyealed, and is 



HISTORY OF SAMUEL. 



315 



now enjoyed — for Christ had not yet come in the flesh — • 
yet, he was made a partaker of that order of spiritual life 
which then existed, and which made him, and all the Old 
Testament saints, capable of afterwards receiving the full 
stream of the divine human life, as it flows from Christ's 
glorified body in heaven, by the power of which both soul 
and body shall be sanctified, and the latter raised up at the 
last day. He was born again, however; born of the Spirit. 
And this took place in answer to the prayers of his mother. 
Often did she pray for him before he was born, and afterwards, 
no doubt, she breathed over him many a prayer as he hung 
on her breast. "And he worshipped the Lord there." 
This was a glorious occasion for Hannah ; her prayers were 
fulfilled, and now she prayed and said : " My heart rejoic- 
eth in the Lord ; my horn (my emblem of triumph) is exalt- 
ed in the Lord ; my mouth is enlarged over my enemies ; 
because I rejoice in thy salvation." No doubt some mock- 
ed at her simple trust in the Lord, and thought her curious ; 
but she rejoiced and triumphed over them in spirit. She 
left the child, therefore, with Eli at Shiloh, and returned 
home. 

Now it so happened, that Eli had two sons, Hophni and 
Phinehas, and they were very wicked. In the account giv- 
en of them in the Bible, it is said, " Now the sons of Eli 
were sons of Belial ; they knew not the Lord." They op- 
pressed the people and caused them to go astray from the 
Lord by their evil example. They were guilty of tyranny, 
fraudulence, voluptuousness and lewdness. " Wherefore," 
it is said, " the sin of the young men was very great before 
the Lord ; for men abhorred the offering of the Lord." All 
this time Samuel also, though but a child, ministered before 
the Lord. He saw all that Hophni and Phinehas did ; and 
perhaps he ventured sometimes to reprove them, for which 
these wicked young men, probably treated him very ill. 
But he bore it all patiently. 



816 



HISTORY OF SAMUEL. 



It is said, "he ministered before the Lord." Doubtless 
he wished for no better pleasure ; he desired no more agree- 
able employment. Give him but the privilege of enjoying 
his religion, and easting his cares upon God, and living in 
communion with him, and he was happy. He must have 
been severely tried and strongly tempted by wicked exam- 
ples ; but in the midst of all this, he realized God's pres- 
ence. He felt, " Thou God seest me." He was satisfied, 
because he was allowed to "minister before the Lord." 
Moreover, to make up for the abuse of Hophni and Phineas 
and other unfavorable influences, and to prevent his becom- 
ing discouraged, his mother and his father Elkanah, visited 
him several times a year to encourage and advise him. His 
mother also, with that characteristic kindness so peculiar 
to a mother, when she wishes to encourage and stimulate 
her child by little deeds of love, made him a little coat, and 
brought it to him from year to year, when they went up to 
the yearly sacrifice. But above all, he had the anointing 
of the Holy Spirit to keep him from evil. So it is said! 
" The child Samuel grew on, and was in favor with the 
Lord, and also with men." Happy boy ; his delight was 
in the law of the Lord, and in his law did he meditate day 
and night. 

" Now Eli was very old," it is said, and he did not know 
the conduct of his sons ; but the people told him of it. " He 
heard all that his sons did unto Israel." So he reproved 
them ; but he reproved them so slightly that they did not 
mind it— they did not heed his reproof. " Notwithstand- 
ing, they hearkened not unto the voice of their father," 
and for their disobedience, "the Lord determined to slay 
them." Eli was not sufficiently strenuous; and perhaps he 
neglected them when they were young. He did not com- 
mand them, and entreat them, as" for their life, to flee from 
idolatry and every species of wickedness. He did not pray 



HISTORY OF SAMUEL. 



317 



fervently with and for them, and, by the help of God, bring 
them thus to feel the necessity of obeying God, and obtain- 
ing his Spirit. 0, what a pity ! Eli was a good man ; but 
he neglected his duty in this respect. 

Thus things grew worse and worse ; the people became 
wicked and worshippers of Baal, by seeing the example of 
Hophni and Phinehas. About this time, a man of God came 
to Eli, and pronounced the threatenings of God upon him 
for his neglect of duty. By him God threatened to destroy 
the whole family of Eli, for their wickedness. " Where- 
fore," said the Lord, "kick ye at my sacrifice and at mine 
offering, which I have commanded in my habitation ; and 
honorest thy sons above me, to make themselves fat with 
the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people ? 
Wherefore the Lord God of Israel saith, I said indeed that 
thy house, and the house of thy father should walk before 
me forever : but now the Lord saith : Be it far from me ; 
for them that honor me I will honor, and they that despise 
me shall be lightly esteemed." 

The sons of Eli made a worse than mercenary employ- 
ment of their office. They sacrified only to obtain meat to 
satisfy their appetite ; and they took more than their por- 
tion. Not only did they break the command of God in the 
manner in which they performed the duties of their station, 
but in the spirit also, which they manifested. They did 
not regard God at all, nor stand in awe of him as the holy 
and almighty God. They were actuated merely by human 
relations, and human motives, and consequently looked upon 
God, if they regarded him at all, as such an one as them- 
selves. God was not revealed to their souls. They had 
no true faith, such as that of Abel of blessed memory. The 
consequence was, that they fell into all manner of wicked- 
ness. The people followed their example, and every thing 
seemed to be going to destruction. But the Lord took care 



318 



HISTORY OF SAMUEL. 



of his cause. Unpurposed to punish the house of Eli, and 
to raise up other instruments. To Eli he said : " And this 
shall be a sign unto thee, that shall come upon thy two 
sons Hophni and Phinehas ; in one day they shall die both 
of them. And I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall 
do according to that which is in my heart and in my mind. 
The Lord also revealed to Samuel the fact, young as h. 
was, that he was going to destroy the family of Eli. « And 
the Lord said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, 
at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall 
tingle. In that day will I perform against Eli all thing 
which I have spoken concerning his house: when I begin I 
will also make an end, for I have told him that I will judg< 
his house forever, for the iniquity which he knoweth ; be- 
cause his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them 
not." 

On account of the unfaithfulness of the priests and the 
people, the Lord made no revelations to them ; for it is said, 
" there was no open vision in those days ; and the word of 
the Lord was precious in those days." That is, the people 
would have highly prized, as they greatly needed and af- 
terward received, through Samuel, the directions of the 
Almighty. « The child Samuel ministered unto the Lord 
before Eli." And the Lord made revelations to him. In 
the third chapter of the first book of Samuel, there is a 
very touching account of the first prophetic revelation which 
Samuel received. This was followed by others. The peo- 
ple heard of it, and encouraged by this, instead of first im- 
proving their hearts and minds and honoring God, they 
were stimulated, first, to remove their social and political 
evils. They had gone so far in their apostacy, that they 
needed, and did receive, additional chastisements, before 
they could be brought truly to repent. They were subject- 
ed to ill treatment by their neighboring nation, the Pbilis- 



HISTORY OF SAMUEL. 



319 



tines They were oppressed and made to pay heavy taxes. 
The difficulty could be decided only by war. Accordingly, 
the children of Israel marched out, and pitched their tents 
at Ebenezer, and the Philistines pitched in Aphek. As 
they went into battle the Israelites were smitten before the 
Philistines, and about four thousand of their number were 
slain in the field. 

They returned to their camp, and the elders of Israel 
said : " Wherefore hath the Lord smitten us to day before 
the Philistines?" Ah! they might have known why. 
They might have known, that it was on account of the sins 
of the people. But so it was ; they were so stupid and for- 
getful of their duty, that they did not, it seems, think of it. 
"Wherefore hath the Lord smitten us?" they inquired. 
So they fell upon another expedient. They knew that God 
regarded the Ark of the covenant with a peculiar favor, and 
supposed that he would not suffer it to fall into the hands 
of their enemies. They brought the Ark of the covenant 
from Shiloh, with Hophni and Phinehas with it, and took it 
with them into battle, thinking that God's peculiar pres- 
ence would save it to them: for God dwelt in a peculiar 
manner between the cherubim on the mercy seat, the cov- 
ering of the ark. " And when the Ark of the covenant of 
the Lord came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great 
shout, so that the earth rang again." And when the Phil- 
istines heard the noise of the shout they feared, and said 
to one another, when they learned that the Ark of the 
Lord was come into the camp of the Hebrews ; " Woe unto 
us ! who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty 
gods ? These are the gods that smote the Egyptians with 
all the plagues in the wilderness. Be strong and quit your- 
selves like men, ye Philistines, that ye be not servants to 
the Hebrews, as they have been to you : quit yourselves 
like men and fight." And what was the result ? " Israel 



320 



HISTORY OF SAMUEL. 



was smitten again, and about thirty thousand of them fell, 
and the Ark was taken, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni 
and Phinehas were slain." They were completely routed. 
And a man of the tribe of Benjamin ran to the city of Shi- 
loh to tell the disastrous news ; and as he came into the 
town the whole city cried out with lamentations on account 
of the sad intelligence. The man came with his clothes 
rent and earth upon his head, the usual sign of woe and 
calamity. 

While these events were transpiring, « Eli was sitting on 
a seat by the wayside watching; for his heart trembled 
for the Ark of God." He waited to hear the fate of the 
Ark. He was very old, being ninety-eight years of age, 
and could not see, and consequently only conjectured, when 
he heard the distant sound of feet and conversation, as to 
what had taken place ; but when he heard the noise of the 
tumult, he anxiously inquired what the noise of the crying 
meant. " And the man said unto Eli, I am he that came 
out of the army, and I fled to day out of the army. And 
he said, what is there done, my son ? And the messenger 
answered, Israel is fled before the Philistines, and there 
hath been also a great slaughter among the people, and thy 
two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the Ark 
of God is taken." And when he heard this sad news, « he 
fell backward from off his seat by the side of the gate, and 
his neck brake, and he died." 

Thus ended the family of Eli, and thus increased the ca- 
lamities of Israel. But all this while, God was preparing 
Samuel to be their leader out of difficulties. God never 
leaves his people entirely; but by his providence and grace 
he raises up those who fear him in deed and in truth. When 
those who are in authority are unfaithful, God raises up oth- 
ers who shall vindicate his honor ; and thus his cause is 
saved, his name is glorified, his people are rescued from ob- 



HISTORY OF SAMUEL. 



321 



livion, and his Church is preserved. " The Lord maketh 
poor, and maketh rich; he bringeth low, and lifteth up." 

Doubtless Samuel had remonstrated with the people, 
against their conduct ; but the majority did not listen to 
him at the time, and continued to follow their own ways. 
For it must be remembered, that Samuel had now become 
a prophet ; God having revealed himself to him, and inform- 
ed him what would be the fate of Eli and his house, unless 
a great change took place. These things he told the peo- 
ple, with many others, which made a deep impression on 
their minds. It is said, " Samuel grew, and the Lord was 
with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground. 
And all Israel, from Dan even to Beersheba, knew that 
Samuel was established to be a prophet of the Lord." 
"The Lord did bt none of his words fall to the ground." 
Some may have given little or no heed to them, at the 
time they were spoken ; but when subsequent events proved 
them to be true, they came with tenfold weight to their re- 
collection. For when, upwards of twenty years after the 
Ark was taken, during which time they began, generally, 
to worship idols, the Ark was returned by the Philistines, 
after many of them died by reason of the Ark being amongst 
them, and many of the Israelites of Bathshemesh were slain 
by touching it with their unhallowed hands— they were 
very willing to listen to the admonitions of Samuel, and in- 
stead of using the Ark as a charm to subdue their enemies, 
they entreated him to pray for them, after he had exhort- 
ed them to repent and turn to the true God with all their 
hearts. 

The Ark of the covenant was now at Kirjath-jearim in 
the house of Aminadab, in the hands of lawful and ordain- 
ed priests. But the people " lamented after the Lord ;" 
for there were no regular yearly sacrifices for twenty long 
years. But Samuel prophesied and taught the people, and 
27 



322 



HISTORY OF SAMUEL* 



finally brought them to repent. " And Samuel' said, Gath- 
er all Israel to Mizpeh, and I will pray for you unto the 
Lord. And they gathered together to Mizpeh." Through 
the instrumentality of Samuel, who was their judge or pres- 
ident, all difficulties between themselves and between them 
and their God, were reconciled. 

The Philistines, hearing that " the children of Israel were 
gathered to Mizpeh," resolved to go up against them, think- 
ing to defeat them as easily as they did before. But now 
they had Samuel and the God of Samuel to contend with. 
The Israelites, however, were afraid, when they heard that 
their enemies were coming against them, and they besought 
Samuel to intercede in their behalf. " Cease not," said 
they, " to cry unto the Lord our God for us, that he will 
save us out of the hand of the Philistines." God heard him 
and while he was offering sacrifices, the Philistines drew near, 
and " the Lord thundered with a great thunder on that day 
upon the Philistines, and discomfited them." 

In commemoration of this victory, Samuel erected a hasty 
monument, a simple stone found in the vicinity, which he 
called Ebenezer, " the stone of help," "saying, hitherto 
hath the Lord helped us." God did help them, and verified * 
the proverb, "The battle is not to the strong." While 
Samuel was at the head of affairs, and the people followed 
his advice, and adhered to the Lord, Israel prospered. 
" The hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the 
days of Samuel." The life and activity which the Lord in- 
fused into the affairs of the state and of society, through 
the instrumentality of Samuel, were seen in every direction. 
The Israelites became respected and feared, and were at 
peace with other nations. 

A long prosperous period now followed under the admin- 
istration of Samuel, who was raised to the highest distinc- 
tion and honor, from a poor boy of the city of Rainath of 



HISTOUY OF SAMUEL. 



323 



the tribe of Levi. " Samuel judged Israel all the days of 
his life." The powers of this office, to which the Lord and 
the people elevated him, were similar to those of a king, 
and also to those of a judge in a court of justice. Samuel 
had his circuit and places for holding court, and he per- 
formed his duty with fidelity and general acceptance, he- 
cause he governed in the fear of the Lord. " He went 
from year to year in circuit to Bethel, and Gilgal, and 
Mizpeh, and judged Israel in all those places." In these 
places, which were cities of the Levites, and during the ex- 
ercise of his judicial authority, probably, he established 
those institutions which were called schools of the prophets. 
In these seminaries of learning, young men were engaged 
in studying the divine and civil law and psalmody, to qual- 
ify themselves to become prophets or teachers and judges 
of the people. Samuel knew that a healthy and vigorous 
state of society could not be kept up without the diffusion 
of useful knowledge. He showed his wisdom, therefore, 
in the establishment of these schools. 

Having made the circuit, he returned to Ram ah, the 
place of his residence ; " for there was his house." Here 
he erected an altar to the Lord, and established the servi- 
ces of religion ; for Shiloh had been deserted, and the Ark 
was kept at Kirjath-jearim for twenty years, until the de- 
liverance of Israel from Philistine oppression. To the pi- 
ous mind of Samuel, there was an intimate connection be- 
tween religion and the best interests of society. Where the 
regular services of religion were not enjoyed and appreci- 
ated, there was only a mock prosperity. Here Samuel, 
from time to time, received direct revelations from heaven, 
both because he was worthy of being entrusted with them, 
and because the times required them. 

Samuel, however, becoming too old, his two sons, Joel 
and Abiah, were called to take his place. But, strange as 



324 HISTORY OF SAMUEL. 



it is, they proved themselves unworthy of their trust. 
Though not so wicked as the sons of Eli, they were far 
from possessing that integrity and honesty which their office 
required. « They turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, 
and perverted judgment." There seems to be a tendency 
m the sons of public men to turn out bad. This may be 
owing to greater temptations, and to the want of time and 
attention being devoted to them by their parents. Samuel, 
perhaps, did not give that attention to his children which 
his father gave to him, and perhaps they had not such a 
mother as he had,— as Hannah was. Be this as it may, 
they walked not in the ways of their father, and the people 
complained. The elders of Israel, therefore, requested 
Samuel to select for them a king to govern them like other 
nations. Samuel was displeased at this request ; for he 
knew, that unworthy judges might be displaced, and others 
called to govern, and the government be conducted in a 
more economical and prosperous manner, than if a king 
ruled them. He knew a kingly government would be more 
burdensome, and that if a king proved unworthy, he would 
have more power to abuse his authority, and be more diffi- 
cult to remove from his place. However, he asked direc- 
tion from the Lord. " And Samuel prayed unto the Lord." 
The Lord, however, was also displeased ; for he preferred 
to govern them by judges, and he was displeased, because 
such a request showed a want of confidence in his provi- 
dence, and an unwillingness to serve and obey him as their 
God. He said : « They have rejected me, that I should not 
reign over them." However, he directed Samuel to comply 
with their request; but, at the same time, solemnly to pro- 
test that it was not for the best. « Hearken unto their 
voice ; howbeit, yet protest solemnly unto them." Samuel 
accordingly enumerated the evils of a monarchy, particu- 
larly that it would have to be Supported in luxury. "Nev- 



HISTORY OF SAMUEL. 



325 



ertheless, the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel ; 
and they said, Nay, but we will have a king over us." So 
the Lord gave them a king ; but it was in his wrath. Sam- 
uel promised to gratify their wish, and told the assembly 
to go to their homes : " Go ye every man to his city." 

In due time, under the guidance of the Lord, Samuel 
presented them a king, which was Saul, a man of the tribe 
of Benjamin. By a variety of providential and miraculous 
circumstances, he was led to the selection of this man ; and 
having found him, he recommended him to the people for 
his tall and majestic appearance, which was indicative also 
of his superiority in the office he was about to assume. 
" And when he stood among the people, he was higher than 
any of the people, from the shoulders upward." From this 
circu'mstance, Samuel took occasion to speak in his behalf. 
" And Samuel said to all the people ; See ye him whom the 
Lord hath chosen, that there is none like him among all 
the people ? And all the people shouted, and said, God 
save the king." 

It is remarkable that Samuel, whose influence was al- 
most unbounded, and whose word could be depended upon 
in every emergency, took such a minute and active part in 
this business, and in all the affairs of the Israelites during 
the whole of his long life, when he had no interest to serve 
but the common good and the glory of God. Instead of 
seizing the reins of government and placing himself on a 
throne, and living in luxury and ease, and bestowing the 
crown on his descendants, he modestly retired only to coun- 
sel and advise, and to leave action to the more young and 
vigorous. He acted as a father with the most disinterested 
benevolence and patriotism. 

Samuel on this occasion, having given the people a con- 
stitution founded on the principles of right and justice, 
which God had revealed, dismissed them and sent them 
27* 



HISTORY OF SAMUEL. 



home. " Samuel told the people the manner of the king- 
dom and wrote it in a book, and laid it up before the Lord. 
And Samuel sent all the people away, everv man to his 
house." 

Soon after this Saul distinguished himself in battle, and 
obtained a victory over the Ammonites, and from this time 
all objectors to his reign were silenced ; for some did not 
favor him at the beginning, even deriding Samuel for re- 
commending him ; for which conduct, many now advised 
the severe punishment of death. But Saul refused, saying : 
" There sna11 not a man be put to death this day : for to- 
day the Lord hath wrought salvation in Israel." The ven- 
erable Samuel rejoiced ; for he realized that " the counsel 
of the Lord shall stand." 

Samuel announced an assembly at Gilgai for the public 
acknowledgment of Saul's reign. « Then said Samuel to 
the people : Come, let us go to Gilgal and renew the kin*- 
dom there." They accordingly went, and there they sac- 
rificed peace offerings, and it is said, " Saul and the men of 
Israel rejoiced greatly." Samuel took this occasion to give 
the people a long discourse, advising them in a solemn and 
eloquent manner what to do. He introduced his speech by 
beseeching them to remember what he had done for them, 
and appealing to the sincerity and honesty of his life. "I 
have hearkened unto your voice," said he, " in all that ye 
said unto me, and have made a king over you." He was 
willing to accede to this mistaken wish of their's. "And 
now," said he, "I am old and grey-headed; and behold my 
sons are with you ; and I have walked before you from my 
childhood unto this day." « Witness against me," he says 
" whom have I defrauded," &e. « And they said thou hast 
not defrauded us, neither hast thou taken aught of any 
man's hand." He then enumerates the mighty acts of God 
in their past history, from Moses down to that time. From 



HISTORY OF SAMUEL. 



327 



this history he shows them the unreasonableness of seeking 
protection and safety in a mere earthly king. " When the 
children of Ammon came against you, ye said unto me, 
Nay ; but a king shall reign over us, when the Lord your 
God was your king." "Now," said he, " behold the king 
whom ye have chosen, and whom ye have desired." He 
then assures them if they and their king will fear and 
serve and not rebel against the Lord and his command- 
ments, it shall be well with them : but if they obey not the 
Lord, then shall the hand of the Lord be against them, as 
it was against their fathers. He then showed them the 
displeasure of God by calling down a miraculous thunder- 
storm. " Now, therefore," said he, " stand and see this 
great thing, which the Lord will do before your eyes." 
This greatly terrified them. " The people greatly feared 
the Lord and Samuel :. And all the people said unto Sam- 
uel : Pray for thy servants unto the Lord thy God, that we 
die not : for we have added unto all our sins this evil, to 
ask us a king." Samuel assured them, however, that they 
need not fear, provided they were faithful to their king and 
their God. He also assured them, that he would intercede 
for them at the throne of grace. "Moreover," said he, 
" as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord, 
in ceasing to pray for you ; but I will teach you the good 
and the right way. Only fear the Lord, and serve him 
with all your heart ; for consider how great things he hath 
done for you. But if you will do wickedly, ye shall be 
consumed, both ye and your king." 

Saul, however, proved recreant to his trust. Although 
he wished to be good in the main, he gave loose reins to his 
impetuous and rash disposition, and his ambition and love 
of applause led him to be of a double mind, and to the 
commission of peccadilloes, or little sins, as he thought 
them to be. 



328 



HISTORY OF SAMUEL. 



There was a nation at this time, the Amalekites, whose 
wickedness had become so great, that forbearance and mer- 
cy toward them, were no longer a virtue. Accordingly, the 
Lord gave directions, through Samuel his prophet, to Saul 
to go against them and utterly destroy them for their wick- 
edness and for an example to others. Saul, however, con- 
sented, by the request of his soldiers, to bring the king 
Agag, as a prisoner of war, to Gilgal, and also the sheep 
and oxen for sacrifice, in order, perhaps, to have a feast 
and a time of rejoicing. Thus, alas ! the people and their 
king transgressed the command of God. When Samuel re- 
proved him, Saul at first did not think that he had com- 
mitted any sin. But he had violated the principles of jus- 
tice and obedience ; and when Samuel spoke to him in these 
searching words : « Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt 
offerings as in obeying the voice of the Lord ? Behold to 
obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of 
rams, &c. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord 
he hath also rejected thee from being king,"— he confessed 
his sin. « I have sinned," he said, « because I feared the 
people, and obeyed their voice." He entreated for pardon, 
but it was not granted; for his repentance was, perhaps, not 
sincere ; it was only on account of the loss of his kingdom, 
and not on account of his sin against God. At all events' 
God determined to remove him, and it is doubtful whether 
he was finally saved to enter the kingdom of heaven when 
he came to die ; for he appeared to be a selfish character 
throughout. Though Samuel worshipped with him at this 
time, he returned home, and it is said, « Samuel came no 
more to see Saul until the day of his death." His solici- 
tude continued, however, and he "mourned for Saul." He 
remembered with sorrow, his hopes of good to Israel, which 
were blasted in Saul. He had anointed him, and watched 
with the deepest anxiety the progress of his reign. But 



HISTORY OF SAMUEL. 



329 



he had been compelled to bear this sorrowful message : 
" When thou wast little in thine own sight, thou wast made 
head of the tribes of Israel, and the Lord anointed thee 
king. But thou didst not obey, and didst evil in the sight 
of the Lord." All was lost to Saul, and Samuel mourned 
for him, as for a fallen friend, with whom he had taken 
sweet counsel. 

Samuel, however, lived to anoint another king. Soon 
after his return home from his last interview with Saul, he 
was called, by the Lord, from his retirement, to anoint Da- 
vid, a young shepherd of the village of Bethlehem, as king. 
It is said, " The Spirit of the Lord came upon David from 
that day forward;" whilst on the other hand, " The Spirit 
of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the 
Lord troubled him." Between these two, there now com- 
menced a rivalry, which providentially ended in the death 
of Saul in battle with the Philistines. 

From this time we hear no more of Samuel until about 
four years after the anointing of David, when it is said : 
" He died : and all the Israelites were gathered together 
and lamented him, and buried him in his house at Ram ah." 
Thus he ended his career, full of years and full of honors, 
having lived during one of the most interesting and impor- 
tant periods of Jewish history, in which he figured conspic- 
uously as an instrument in the hand of the Lord. 

In the language of another, " Samuel was unquestiona- 
bly a character of the very first class." During the trouble- 
some times in which he lived, and amidst all the temptations 
to which he was exposed, from his childhood to old age, he 
never swerved from the rules of rectitude. This is remark- 
able, when we consider the fickleness of others around him, 
and can be accounted for only from the fact, that he was 
brought from his early childhood, to act for himself in the 
fear of God ; and on the supposition that he was endowed 



330 



HISTORY OP SAMUEL. 



by nature and by grace with a sound mind and a pious 
heart. 

He was a decided character. Amidst all the defections 
of Israel, he was always found on the side of the Lord, and 
he was always found to be right. Men knew where to find 
him, and they learned, in his subsequent history, to seek 
his aid and advice. He was a regular stand-by in times 
which tried men's souls. 

From the preceding history, we also see, that persons 
may live in the Church, without being of the Church ; that 
they may enjoy many of her covenant advantages without 
obtaining a change of heart. 

Hophni and Phinehas enjoyed all the advantages of 
Samuel. They enjoyed the same means of grace. They were 
circumcised, and more than that, they were brought up under 
the very eye of Jehovah, and of a pious parent. " They 
ministered before the Lord," in his sanctuary ; but they did 
not become pious. This can be accounted for only on the 
supposition, that they did not suffer themselves to be brought 
up in the way in which they should go. They did not yield 
themselves, like Samuel, to the instruction and guidance of 
the Lord. 

Thus, at the present day, many enjoy the benefits of bap- 
tism and religious instruction, who clo not receive them as 
coming from the Lord, and do not yield themselves to the 
influence of the Spirit and of their own consciences. There 
is no way of forming a perfect Christian character but by 
acting for one's self according to the dictates of conscience 
and the guidance of the Spirit and truth of God. 

Samuel was, in many respects, a type of our Saviour. 
At all events he resembled him in his character and in the 
position he occupied, and the influence he exerted. Of Jesus 
it was said, when a child, " this child is set for the fall and 
rising again of many in Israel.'' This was also eminently 



HISTORY OE SAMUEL. 



331 



true of Samuel. He saw, and was the instrument of an- 
nouncing, and, to some extent, of bringing about the fall of 
Eli and his family, and the fall of the Israelites in battle 
with the Philistines, and the rising of Saul and of the Is- 
raelites again, and the fall, in substance, of Saul and the 
elevation of David to the throne of Israel. It seems, that 
the history of Samuel suggested to the pious Simeon the 
expression in reference to Christ : " This child is set for 
the fall and rising again of many in Israel." As Samuel 
was the prophet and priest in whom was lodged the power 
of announcing, entreating and executing the will of God, 
so, in a more eminent degree, was lodged in Christ the pow- 
er to influence and direct the Church and the world's histo- 
ry — to " overturn and overturn until he, whose right it is, 
shall reign." 

The integrity of Samuel ivas irreproachable. He was 
honest toward his God and toward men. During his long 
life, it could not be laid to his charge, that he was ever 
guilty of treachery. His friendship was honest and sincere. 
And this sincerity commenced with his childhood when he 
"ministered before the Lord." His sincerity and honesty 
led him to be faithful in his friendship ; for while he loved 
his friend, he also reproved sin upon him, and though he 
pronounced the judgments of God, he cherished the feeling 
of friendship toward those who erred, and could say with 
the Saviour, " Father, forgive them." He mourned for 
Saul, as Christ mourned over Jerusalem. 

His fortitude was undaunted. He possessed heroic mor- 
al courage, and no difficulties or dangers led him to despair. 
When all Israel seemed to depart from God, and he was^ 
almost left alone, his courage failed not. Though gentle, he 
was yet firm and unyielding in his adherence to what he 
was convinced was the good and right way. Though meek 
<i T s the Lamb Jesus, he was also bold as the lion of the tribe 
of Judah — the Lord Jesus. 



332 



HISTORY OF SAMUEL. 



Bis zeal was unahating. He was zealous for the honor 
of God, and his zeal knew no abatement. His whole heart 
was enlisted in the cause of the God of truth, and he vin- 
dicated that cause to the last, amid the greatest opposition, 
and in the most degenerate times. He honored God and 
practiced the rigid virtues of a prophet ; and God honored 
him in the sight of the people who regarded him with the 
sober second thought. What the Lord said to Eli, he ful- 
filled to Samuel : " Them that honor me I will honor." As 
a judge he never swerved from his duty, but performed it 
with zeal and impartiality. 

Sis piety was unaffected and unblemished. He was 
above ostentation or display, and never trumpeted his own 
praise. Unambitious of distinction, he was only solicitous 
of showing forth the praises of Him whose instrument he 
was, knowing that a virtuous life was the most desirable 
thing in itself, and most lovely in the sight of God. 

In most of the other Old Testament saints there was 
some blemish of character ; but in Samuel's piety there ap- 
pears no defect. Though of course not perfect, he was yet 
so pure in his piety that it could almost be said of him/ as 
it was of the Saviour : « He did no sin." As a prophet he 
was holy, and eminently useful in diffusing the knowledge 
of the true God to the end of his life. 

Holy blessed Samuel ! We here bid adieu to the theme 
of his life in Palestine, hoping to meet him in a better 
clime. 

" Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my 
last end be like his." 



HISTORY OF MARYc 



833 



II. 

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF MARY, THE SISTER OF LAZARUS. 

There were several persons in the village of Bethany, 
whom our divine and adorable Redeemer made his intimate 
friends, and with whom he tarried when he made his visits 
to the yearly festivals at Jerusalem, and on other occasions. 
These were particularly the family of Lazarus and his sis- 
ters, Martha and Mary, and of Simon the leper, who, per- 
haps, also had been a Pharisee. These friends were en- 
deared to the Saviour by religious associations, and other 
social and providential incidents. 

In his last visit to J erusalem, the Saviour received an act 
of attention, friendship and love from Mary, which he re- 
commends < and enjoins to be mentioned as a memorial of 
her, wherever the gospel should be preached or promulgated. 
Accordingly, we propose giving a brief sketch of this noble 
deed and of others, of this truly pious woman, for the con* 
sideration and benefit of the church-member. 

The first direct account we have of this Mary — for there 
are several Marys spoken of in the New Testament — is 
that on the occasion of a visit from Jesus, when, it is said, 
she sat at Jesus' feet and heard his word. We shall take 
this incident, therefore, as the first in her history, and pro- 
ceed to make some observations upon it. 

It seems, upon this visit a conversation was entered into, 
by those who were present in the house of Martha and Ma- 
ry, with the Saviour, in the course of which something was 
said that called forth a continued discourse from him on the 
subject of religion. Mary was so interested and chained 
28 



334 



HISTORY OF MARY, 



•with the charm of his words, that she remained and listen- 
ed so long as to neglect her household duties. She " sat 
at Jesus' feet and heard his word/' We observe in this, 
that the Saviour, that heavenly minister, made this a real 
pastoral visit, by giving religious instruction, and dropping 
pious remarks in his conversation. Martha, however, who, 
it appears, was the governess of the house, was busily en- 
gaged in preparing refreshments and other comforts for 
the Saviour and his companions — which was all very good 
in its place — and seeing the remissness of her sister, complain- 
ed to her distinguished guest. She was cumbered with 
much serving, and said: "Lord, dost thou not care that 
my sister hath left me to serve alone ? Bid her, therefore, 
that she help me." 

Although there was something commendable in the con- 
duct of Martha, in that it showed her respect and venera- 
tion for Christ, as well as her industry, by endeavoring to 
provide the best entertainment for him ; there was also 
something reprehensible in it, in that it manifested too 
much concern, producing fretfulness and dissatisfaction. 
She should rather have been patient, and have heard the 
discourse of the Saviour — the more important moral and 
religious truths which fell from his lips — than to exert her- 
self to " have a sumptuous and splendid entertainment ; 
great plenty, great variety and great exactness, according 
to the fashion of the times." 

The Saviour, perceiving that she indulged a rather world- 
ly and impious spirit, gave her a gentle reproof : "Martha, 
Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things." 
He was displeased, that she should think of pleasing him 
chiefly by preparing a rich and splendid entertainment, and 
by perplexing herself about it, to the neglect of " the one 
thing needful." 

Hence he said : " But one thing is needful, and Mary 



HISTORY OP MARY. 



335 



hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away 
from her." It is well to be diligent in business, to be a fine 
housekeeper ; but it is still better to be fervent in spirit, 
serving the Lord, to be pious and to seek the one thing need- 
ful above all others. " That is always best for us upon the 
whole, which is best for our souls." 

In this instance, the first occurrence mentioned in her 
history, the piety of Mary is distinguished for its affection- 
ateness. She loved much. Martha was conscientious and 
strict in her way ; but there was too much of that erring 
humanity mingled with her piety, which looks more on the 
human side of things, than on the divine and heavenly. We 
may also observe, in this "scrap of history," the error of 
those heads of families who cannot find time to collect their 
household, when the minister visits them, in order that he 
may address them and engage in prayer with and for them. 

We have reason to believe, that this happy family of Beth- 
any, was visited frequently by the Saviour. A sad calam- 
ity, however, befel them at a time when Jesus was far from 
Jerusalem, on one of his journeys through the land of Pal- 
estine, to preach the gospel and to work miracles. Laza- 
rus, the only male member of the family, was sick. His 
sisters sent their friend Jesus, who was none other than the 
long promised Messiah and Redeemer of the world, intelli- 
gence of their brother's illness. Their simple and affection- 
ate message was: "Lord, he whom thou lovest is sick." 
There was a peculiar attachment between Jesus and this 
family ; for it is said : "Now Jesus loved Martha and her 
sister and Lazarus." When the Saviour received this news, 
he immediately determined, by means of his omniscience and 
divine power, to employ this circumstance for the glory of 
God. " This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory 
of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby." 

Several days after this announcement, Jesus, now know- 



336 



HISTORY OF MARY. 



ing that his friend was dead, and telling his disciples plain- 
ly, " Lazarus is dead/' departed for Bethany. When he 
came near the village, Martha, perhaps hearing of his ap- 
proach, and being of an active and busy turn, went out, 
without informing her sister, to meet Jesus ; and when she 
came to where he was, she expostulated with him for not 
coming sooner, and lamenting that he was not present : 
"Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died." 
While this interview was had, "Mary sat still in the house." 
It appears that she was of a contemplative and reserved, 
and somewhat melancholy disposition, and this caused her 
to remain in the house, brooding over her sorrows and be- 
reavement. Martha, however, soon returned, and said : 
^The^ Master is come, and calleth for thee," Jesus was' 
inquisitive about Mary, knowing her piety and natural dis- 
position, and desiring to give her such consolation as he 
gave Martha, and to mingle his sympathies with hers ; for 
his sympathies were affected, on this occasion, in a power- 
ful manner, in view of the sorrows of his friends, and in 
view of the sad and common lot of all humanity. He him- 
self was near his death, and he knew it ; for not many days 
afterward he was crucified and buried, and consequently, a 
crowd of thoughts came rushing into his mind and a weight 
of solicitude and sorrow was experienced in view of the sins 
of mankind, which quite overcame him ; for when he came 
to the grave of Lazarus he groaned in spirit and wept. Yes, 
Jesus wept; for he had a heart full of sympathy for fallen 
humanity. His sympathy was, to some extent of course/ 
human and natural ; but it was also divine. 

" The Master is come and calleth for thee." This was 
welcome news to Mary, and, accordingly, with a sorrowful 
heart, which only those know who are bereaved of friends, 
she hastened to appear before Jesus. " As soon as she heard 
that, she arose quickly and came to him." She loved the 



HISTORY OF MARY. 



337 



Saviour as her friend and Redeemer, and desired his words 
of condolence, and to pour her sorrows into his ear. She 
knew, that he had almighty power, and could give her that 
consolation which her other friends could not. She was a 
woman of a sorrowful and tender spirit. This was her nat- 
ural temper, and when she went out of the house, those 
present with her supposed that she was going to the grave 
to weep there. She was naturally susceptible of impres- 
sion, and the more so by grace, which properly directed and 
controled her excitable and tender spirit. When she came 
to where Jesus was, she fell down at his feet, and, like 
Martha, said : " Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother 
had not died." Her earnest spirit and strong passions led 
her, not only to go to Jesus, but to fall at his feet. This 
was an affecting scene. The longings for immortality, and 
the deep spiritual wants of humanity found access to the heart 
of Jesus in the days of his flesh, by the expressions of these 
his dearest and most intimate friends on earth. 

What is remarkable on this occasion, is, that Mary again 
appears as the confiding and loving follower of Christ. Her 
faith led her to the feet of Jesus, to confide her all to his 
hands, and needed not any argument to remove dark doubts, 
and murmurings against providence and divine government. 
44 Though Christ seemed unkind in delaying to come to them, 
she could take nothing amiss from him ; she still loved 
much." She merely said, 44 Lord, hadst thou been here, 
my brother had not died." And, doubtless, she received 
that comfort which the world cannot give. 

The next incident in the life of Mary, is that of her pour- 
ing ointment on the Saviour's feet and head, as he was at 
supper in the house of Simon the leper, on the occasion of 
his last visit to Jerusalem, six days before his death, when 
he tarried, as usual, with his friends in Bethany, which was 
a village in the suburbs of the city. Matthew and Mark 
28* 



338 



HISTORY OF MARY. 



relate this circumstance, without mentioning the name of 
Mary. They only speak of the act as that of a certain wo- 
man. " There came unto him a woman having an alabas- 
ter-box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his 
head, as he sat at meat." And in addition to what John 
says, they relate the injunction of the Saviour, that this act 
of the woman should be spoken of, as a memorial of her. in 
the world, wherever the gospel should be preached. We 
may observe from this, that persons become distinguished, 
not by their name and family descent, nor by the°circum- 
stances in which they are placed, merely, but by their 
minds and actions. A name becomes honorable, only by 
being accompanied with honorable conduct. 

There is another act, of a similar kind with the one just 
alluded to, spoken of by Luke, in the seventh chapter of 
his gospel, performed by a woman, without her name being 
mentioned. Whether it was Mary or not, cannot be deci- 
ded from the gospel narrative ; but it is certain, that she 
was a woman of similar piety with Mary. Like Mary, she 
anointed the Saviour's feet ; and besides this, also washed 
them with her tears. This was a customary act of kindness, 
which the master of the house attended to, or saw that it 
was attended to by his servants or others, towards those of 
his guests, to whom he wished to show a mark of distinction, 
and manifest great love and respect. It seems also to have 
been performed voluntarily, by strangers in the house, to- 
ward their distinguished friends, as in this instance of Ma- 
ry and that of the woman in the Pharisee's house. Thus, 
like these pious women, we may still show love and re- 
spect to our Saviour, by doing acts of kindness to his people 
—by promoting the comfort and happiness of his followers 
and his ministers. We should do a real service, in the way 
of hospitality or otherwise, whenever we have opportunity; 
and we should do such things as unto the Lord. The love 
of Christ should constrain us to act thus. 



HISTORY OF MARY. 



339 



Six days before the passover, at which latter time he 
partook of the last supper with his disciples, and instituted 
it as the permanent sacrament of his presence and suffer- 
ings on earth, the Saviour was in the house of Simon the 
leper, at supper, when Mary, as it is said in John, " took a 
pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed 
the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair : and the 
house was filled with the odor of the ointment." Mary's 
benevolent disposition was shown, in this instance, to have 
been equal, if not superior to that of Martha, in bestowing 
favors and showing kindness to the Saviour. She gave the 
best she had, " very costly ointment ;" whilst it is certain, 
that her benevolence was not of that forced and earthly 
character, which Martha manifested on a former occasion, 
in extending the hospitalities of her house. 

Mary's heart being moved to a generous love for the Sa- 
viour, she did not hesitate to incur expense to show her 
love. She bestowed " very costly ointment " upon the Sa- 
viour's person. It is the act which shows the benevolent 
heart, that is most acceptable. " The Lord loveth a cheer- 
ful giver." There are times, in the .history of every indi- 
vidual, when affection and sympathy are more acceptable 
than the richest gifts. What the Saviour of mankind wants 
is the homage and affection of men. This is worth more to 
him than thousands of gold and silver. Where this exists, 
the heart, like that of Mary's, will not stop at expense in 
religion. It will not be satisfied with an " easy and cheap 
religion ;" but the person who possesses it will long to cast 
himself at Jesus' feet, to consecrate to him his best affections, 
with all he has and is. 

But one of Jesus' disciples — Judas Iscariot — objected to 
this lavish expenditure, as he considered it ; and perhaps 
some others thought his criticism on Mary's act of love, at 
first, to be just. But the Saviour corrected it. John re- 



340 



HISTORY OP MARY. 



lates the event, in reference to Judas, as follows : " Then 
saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, 
which should betray him : 4 Why was not this ointment sold 
for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?' This he 
said, not that he cared for the poor: but because he was a 
thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein. 
Then said Jesus : Let her alone: against the day of my 
burying hath she kept this ; for the poor always ye have 
with you ; but me ye have not always." 

Judas was self-deceived, if not a wilful hypocrite. He 
flattered himself, or endeavored to flatter others, that he 
was benevolent and loved the poor. But in his heart, if it 
had been brought to the test, he would have seen that he 
did not care for the poor. His objection did not proceed 
from a principle of charity. He did not care for the poor, 
any further than he could make use of them in accomplish- 
ing his own ends, by being their overseer. He secretly 
wanted the money himself, as was proven by his afterward 
selling his Master for thirty pieces of silver. Thus it often 
is, that those who oppose the liberal support of the institu- 
tions of religion, and the benevolent operations of the 
Church, on pretence that they, or their friends are too poor 
to do it, not because they or those upon whom they wish to 
bestow their money, are really in want, but because they 
wish to lavish it upon themselves. They may even say : 
Come, see my zeal for the poor, while, at the same time, 
they are not concerned whether the true interests of the 
poor, and of the Church sink or swim, only so that they 
advance themselves. 

"Let her alone," said the Saviour of Mary, "against 
the clay of my burying hath she kept this." Though it 
may seem to be, in itself, no wise or prudent act, it was 
excusable at least ; for it was well intentioned. Even al- 
lowing it to have been an unnecessary expenditure, Christ 



HISTORY OF MARY. 



341 



would not discourage her honest endeavors to do him a ser- 
vice. He accepted her kindness, and received this expres- 
sion of her good will with pleasure. It is the honesty of 
intention of pious people, which Christ approves. He looks 
at the heart. 

"Against the day of my burying hath she kept this." 
Christ was aware, that his death was near at hand, and 
perhaps had given Mary, as well as his other disciples, in- 
timations of it. Hence the conduct of Mary in anointing 
him. At least, in a pleasant and friendly way, he puts a 
favorable construction upon what she did. Thus " Christ 
puts kind comments on the pious words and actions of good 
people, and not only makes the best of what is amiss, but 
makes the most of what is good." 

But, not only does the Saviour excuse the conduct of 
Mary on this occasion, he highly commends it. In Mat- 
thew it is recorded, that he said : "Why trouble ye the 
woman ? for she hath wrought a good work upon me." And 
in Mark's account of the same transaction, he is represent- 
ed as saying also : " She hath done what she could ; she has 
come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying." As 
before observed, Jesus was sensible that his hour was near 
at hand ; and as it approached, he thought much upon it. 
He thus suffered his death a thousand times by anticipa- 
tion, whilst at the same time, the sight of a world lying in 
wickedness, for whom he was enduring all the privations 
and sufferings of a painful life in the midst of sinful men, 
was fully before him, and filled his soul with unutterable 
sorrow and anguish. He was soon to be crucified by those 
whom he would fain have saved ; and, in this situation he 
was very sensible to kindness, and to affectionate remem- 
brance in reference to the object of his mission particularly. 
He was susceptible as man, as well as God ; for he had all 
the sympathies of our nature. 



342 



HISTORY OF MARY. 



Mary not only performed an inoffensive and well meant 
act of kindness ; but, perhaps the very best, and most grate- 
fully acceptable service in the circumstances, that could be 
performed. « She hath done what she could." How well 
the little trivial acts of kindness show the benevolent heart, 
is understood by all. Here is an act of kindness perform- 
ed by Mary, proceeding from the spontaneous flow of her 
affections : and not only an act of kindness, but one which 
takes the character of religious reverence and respect— of 
devotion and faith. It offers a rich gift, beautifully signi- 
ficant of the best offerings of a devout heart. Like the sifts 
of the wise men, at the Saviour's birth, which were gold* 
frankincense and myrrh ; the gift of this woman was an act 
of faith in him, who could raise the dead, and who was him- 
self soon to die and rise again from the dead. « She hath 
kept this ointment against the day of mv burying," said 
the Saviour. She hath done this in reference to my death. 
" She hath done what she could." She has done the best 
thing that could be done in my circumstances. 

" The house was filled with the odor of the ointment." 
The perfumes of it rose up and filled the dwelling. It came 
to Jesus, with all the associations of his past life^of toil and 
suffering— with the recollection of .the kindnesses and love 
of those, who were then present, and with the anticipation 
of his death and the object of it, as well as with the sincere 
and voluntary devotion, and unaffected love of her who of- 
fered it. « The poor always ye have with you," said Je*u< 
" but me ye have not always." I will soon go away, and 
<• whither I go ye cannot come." This honor, therefore, of 
anointing my body, on this interesting occasion, surrounded 
by my friends in the house of Simon the leper, can be en- 
joyed but once. " The poor always ye have with you. but 
me ye have not always :" not alwavs in the body, and in 
these circumstances. Therefore, "let the woman alone ; 



HISTORY OF MARY. 



348 



she hath done what she could." If we do as well as we 
can, provided our heart is right, provided we have faith and 
love, we will he accepted. 

The value of this act of Mary's, consisted in that it could 
be performed but once, in those circumstances, upon the 
body of Jesus ; and in its being performed entirely volun- 
tarily, not forced or grudgingly, and with sincere love. The 
act had those qualities and characteristics, which showed, 
that the interests of the poor, and of the Church, would not 
suffer in the hands of such persons as this woman. Hence 
we see the propriety and force of the command, enjoining 
the honorable mention of the act through all posterity in 
the Church. " Verily I say unto you : Wheresoever this 
gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also 
this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of 
her." 

" We here bid adieu to Mary's history, for the present, 
with the hope that the savor of her piety may remain with 
all the followers of Christ, and that they may imitate her 
piety, and become, in turn, " an offering and sacrifice to 
God for a sweet-smelling savor." 



844 



HISTORY OF ULRIC ZWINGLE* 



III. 

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF ULRIC ZWINGLE. 

Zwingle's connection with the origin of the German Re- 
formed Church, and the part he acted in the great Refor- 
mation of the sixteenth century, as well as the influence 
which he exerted by his example, his labors and his doc- 
trines upon the religious thinking and practice of the prot- 
estant portion of the Church during his life, and subsequent 
to his death, entitles his name and his deeds to a prominent 
place in history. The very fact of his being a native of 
Switzerland— the land of William Tell— in which he lived, 
and labored, and died, should enlist our attention and call 
forth our interest in his history ; for, although Switzerland 
is but a small principality, compared with the kingdoms of 
Europe, it has preserved its existence as a republic for so 
long a time, and in such a manner, as to command the re- 
spect of mankind, and as to show, that a more than com- 
mon energy and genius rule in the people of that cele- 
brated country. There the republic of Switzerland stands, 
durable as its hills and mountains, and firm as the rock- 
bound shores of its lakes and rivers, a fit emblem of the 
strength and durability of the Christian Church. 

Ulric Zwingle was born at Wildhaus, a village near the 
lake of Zurich in the county of Tockenburg, on the 1st of 
January, 1484. He was of respectable parentage. His 
father was highly esteemed by his fellow citizens, who con- 
ferred on him the office of chief magistrate of the district. 
His uncle, Bartholomew Zwingle, was selected pastor of the 
church at Wildhaus, which, about this time, was disconnect- 
ed from the parent church at Garns and constituted a sepa- 
rate parish. 



HISTORY OF ULRIC ZWINGLE. 345 
to 

Zwingle gave early evidence of talent. This was more 
fully developed as he advanced in his studies in the several 
schools which he attended. He was first sent to school 
under the care of his uncle at Wesen, where he continued 
until he was about ten years of age, when he was sent to 
Basel, under the care of the amiable and excellent teacher, 
Gregorious Bingli. Here he made such astonishing pro- 
gress, as to make himself the object of remark and notice. 
There is one thing which appears evident, while he remain- 
ed at this school, and that is, his studiousness and energy. 
As a pupil, he evidently applied himself diligently to his 
studies. Perhaps, while others less gifted and pious than 
himself, squandered their precious time in idleness and sin, 
he satisfied his thirst for knowledge by industrious study 
and prayer. But like Samuel, the prophet of old, his vir- 
tue and superior progress exposed him to the envy and ill- 
treatment of his fellow students ; so much so, that he was 
obliged to leave the school. 

Zwingle was not of a disposition to brook insults and in- 
juries without reproving them, if not for his own sake, at 
least for the sake of those who were guilty of them, and for 
the sake of the cause of truth and justice. Thus early, 
Zwingle gave evidence of his destiny as a reformer of morals 
and religion, by not suffering sin upon his fellows without 
reproof. He lived in warlike and contentious times, and 
came to intellectual consciousness when men began to wake 
up from the religious formalism and errors which had ac- 
cumulated upon them for centuries ; but he was also en- 
dowed by nature with a warlike disposition, and a moral 
earnestness, such as was necessary to a reformer, which 
would not tamely submit to injustice and error, but would 
rather reprove them wherever they were found. 

His amiable teacher was deeply interested in him ; but 
owing to the ill-will of his fellow students, Mr. Bingli ad- 
29 



£4b HISTORY OF ULRIC ZWINGLE. 

vised his father, after the warmest recommendations, to 
place him at an institution which afforded higher instruc- 
tions than his own. Accordingly, he was sent to Bern, 
and placed under the tuition of Henry Lupulus, who was 
the first individual that opened a school for classical educa- 
tion in Switzerland. In this academy Zwingle stored his 
mind richly with all kinds of literary knowledge, and here 
he formed his taste and judgment and his style of composi- 
tion as a scholar. Lupulus, his tutor, although at this time 
a rigid papist, afterward became his firm friend and a pro- 
moter of the Reformation. He outlived his pupil and hon- 
ored his memory with an epitaph in verse. 

Having remained two years at Bern, he was sent to Vienna 
to study philosophy— the system of argumentation and of 
the explanation of the causes and consequences of things— 
which was then taught in the schools. This was a very 
difficult study, the more so because it was carried into use- 
less and ridiculous distinctions. One of his historians says, 
" It was happy for him, that he did not apply himself to 
this study until he had been exercised six years under emi- 
nent teachers, in acquiring a knowledge of language, and had 
formed an acquaintance with the master pieces' of Rome, by 
which he was secured against the loss of his common sense 
in those cobwebs of scholastic systems, which were then 
called philosophy." However, there was some benefit in 
them, because they trained the mind to habits of close 
thinking, and qualified a man to become a logician and 
public disputer. 

_ Zwingle, who, it seems, was designed by his father and 
his uncle for the ministry, was now sent to Basel, where he 
studied theology under Thomas Wittenbach. Under the 
tuition of this man, who was every way worthy of his post, 
and whom Zwingle afterward regarded with the greatest 
respect, his religious life and theological training were ma- 



HISTORY OF ULRIC ZWINGLE. 



347 



toed, and he was prepared to enter on the field of battle 
as Christ's soldier in the ministry. Whilst pursuing his 
studies in theology, he united the labors of a student with, 
those of a teacher, by giving instruction in languages in a 
primary school of Basel, (St. Martin's,) thereby supplying 
himself with the means of subsistence and relieving his 
father of much of the expense of his education. 

We are not informed what the exercises of his mind were, 
during this period, on the subject of religion, any further 
than that he regarded his instructor, the pious Witt en - 
bach, with the greatest reverence and affection, for his val- 
uable instructions in theology. This continued to the end 
of his life. Zwingle maintained a correspondence with his 
venerated professor, and was often strengthened by his 
counsels in the time of his own conflicts. 

Zwingle, having spent four years at Basel, the time now 
arrived for his ordination to the priesthood. He preached 
first at Rapperswyll, in the Canton of Zurich, and soon after 
received priests orders, according to the custom of the Cath- 
olic Church. The Canton of Zurich witnessed his first 
efforts, and also his last, in behalf of his divine master. 
There he ended his ministry when he accompanied his fel- 
low citizens and church-members to the battle field of Cappel, 
as their chief chaplain, to pray with and advise them in 
obedience to the custom of the times. 

In one of the mountainous districts, (Glarus) whose in- 
dustrious and honest citizens enjoyed the privilege of chosing 
their own pastor, a priest in Israel had fallen. He was 
perhaps saved from the conflicts which were coming on, to 
make room for -one who was more eminently fitted to meet 
the demands of the times, and to make Glarus the first hon- 
ored theatre of action for one who should be set for the fall 
and rising again of many. Providence directed them to 
the man whose birth-place was Wildhaus in Tockenburg. 



348 



HISTORY OF ULRIC ZWIXGLE. 



His uncle Bartholomew, perhaps, was the instrument in the 
hands of God of making Zwingle known to the Glareans, in- 
asmuch as the city of Wesen was previously the market for 
the people of Glarus. 

He was chosen and ordained by the bishop of Constance 
in despite of another appointment by the pope. To this 
individual who brought his certificate of appointment by 
the pope, he and the congregation were obliged to pay an 
annual pension for the relinquishment of his right to the 
charge. This circumstance, perhaps already with others, 
gave Zwingle some misgivings as to the power of the pope 
and the manner in which he larded it over God's heritage. 

Zwingle repaired to his charge, and entered upon the 
duties of his office, 1506 ; and now the clear and penetra- 
ting eye of the pastor, with a benignant countenance, and 
yet expressive of firmness and courage, and with the ardor 
of one who has been in his study and upon his knees in 
prayer to God, is seen to make a powerful impression on 
his hearers. His friend, Myconius says : " He becomes a 
priest, and now, contrary to the usual way of priests, he 
yields himself wholly to his studies, especially to that of 
theology. Mow he first rightly apprehends how much he, 
who is intrusted with the instruction of the people in divine 
truth, ought himself to know : how he ought himself before 
all things, to be furnished with theological knowledge, and 
then to possess eloquence also, that he may be enabled to 
exhibit every thing both truly and profitably, agreeably to 
the capacities of his hearers. To these studies he applied 
himself with a diligence of which there had been no previous 
example in many years ; as also none, even of the best 
speakers of our times, was so complete a master of oratory. 
He was, however, not in Cicero's manner ; he would not 
express himself exactly in accordance with the rules of the 
ancients, but freely, in the manner best suited to his times, 



HISTORY OF ULRIC ZWINGLE* 



349 



and to the people within his sphere of action ; and thus he 
succeeded with us, as did Tully with those of his own times." 

Zwingle's ardent mind and longing desire to promote 
whatever was really good in the moral and religious condi- 
tion of the people, induced him to press upon the attention 
of his parishoners the duty of cultivating holiness. It was 
through the mind and heart that men had communion with 
God, and hy exercising their minds and hearts in contem- 
plation and faith upon things which are heavenly and divine 
in their nature, the generous impulses of the soul were 
awakened, and the principles of virtue were established. 
He held up the holiness of the lives of the saints rather 
than their merits as intercessors, and rather than the effi- 
caey of their bones as relics by which to propitiate the favor 
of heaven. His communion with the written word of Scrip- 
ture, and with the writings of the fathers in the early ages 
of the Church, particularly Augustine, brought him to feel 
most sensibly, that nothing but an earnest mind, taking 
hold of the truth as it is in Jesus, and understanding it, 
could direct the soul in the path of heavenly virtue. " The 
kingdom of heaven suffereth violence and the violent take 
it by force." Hence he said nothing about the merit of 
pilgrimages to particular places, where the bones of some 
saint were said to be deposited, nor about the glory and in- 
tercession of the Virgin Mary. 

Myconius says again, of his ministry : " In the mean 
time, he so promulgated the grace of the gospel, that he 
made no mention, or very sparingly, of the abuses of the 
Church of Rome. He wished the truth, when known, to 
do its own work in the hearts of the hearers ; for when truth 
is perceived and understood, we easily discover what is false. 
The times, however, did not then permit him to act other- 
wise; for amidst such an untowardness and wickedness of 
men, it was more likely that the truth would perish, than 
that the abuses of religion would be removed." 29* 



350 



HISTORY OP ULRIC ZWINGLE. 



Zwingle was of a heavenly mind, and his ardent and chief 
desire was to promote the cause of religion. With this 
mind, he supposed that it was only necessary to build on 
the true foundation, which is Christ, in his connection with 
the Roman Catholic Church. He had no thought, as yet, 
of denying the supreme power of the pope, and that it would 
be necessary for him to protest against some things that 
would bring him into collision with the papacy, and finally 
compel him to separate himself from the ecclesiastical rule 
of the bishop of Home. 

But the time was now at hand, when his eyes should be 
opened. The first thing which shocked his moral sense or 
conscience, and opened his eyes to the spiritual wickedness 
in the high places in the Church, as well as in the State and 
throughout society in all its ranks, was the custom of Switz- 
erland going, as hired soldiery, to foreign countries, and 
among others to the dominions of the pope to assist them 
in their wars with each other. This custom was unjust in 
principle, and led to the most degrading wickedness among 
the soldiers and the people. This was brought the more 
clearly before the eyes of Zwingle, because he was three 
times present as chaplain in these foreign wars. The first 
campaign in which he was present, was that of 1512, in which 
the Swiss were hired by the pope, partly with money, and 
partly by proclaiming indulgence to all who would favor his 
cause, making it appear that it was the cause of the Church 
and of religion, when it was in reality, only to support his 
temporal power in Italy. A likely successor to Christ, this ! 
He was in direct contradiction to the sentiment of the Sa- 
viour : " My kingdom is not of this world." But so it was. 
The people, under the web of errors which had been brought 
upon them, were blind to the unlawful assumptions of the 
pope. Accordingly they repaired to his standard on this 
occasion, in great numbers. The pope, assisted by Venice 



HISTORY OP TJLRIC ZWINGLE. 



351 



and Spain, was at war with France for the possession of 
the duchy of Milan. The king of France had solicited a 
force of several thousand men from the Swiss for the first 
campaign, but they demanded large sums of money and con- 
sequently were not employed. 

The French, however, proved victorious in this campaign, 
at the battle of Ravenna, and after this felt so confident of 
final success, that they turned away from the Swiss with 
contempt. The latter, enraged at this affront, were the 
more ready to enlist with the pope, who sent emissaries into 
Switzerland, to stimulate the enlistment of troops, and, in a 
short time, twenty thousand men were prepared to march. 

At Yerona, in Italy, they were met and received in great 
splendor and pomp by Cardinal Shinner, who had previous- 
ly been in Switzerland, to hasten their preparation and depar- 
ture. Presents were presented from the holy father. These 
were a consecrated ducal hat, with an image of the Holy 
Ghost made of gold, in the form of a dove, and a consecra- 
ted golden sword adorned with precious stones. Very inap- 
propriate emblems, to say the least, to come from a repre- 
sentative of Jesus Christ. He was certainly not harmless 
as a dove, nor wise as a serpent, when he assumed the char- 
acter of an earthly king, and took the reins of state gov- 
ernment into his own hands. He was in direct opposition 
to Him, who said to Peter : " Put up thy sword again into 
its place ;" and to Peter himself, who said: " The wisdom 
which is from above is first pure, then peaceable, easy to 
be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partial- 
ity and without hypocrisy." It is evidently contrary to 
the spirit and design of Christianity, that it should be made 
to assume the place of a State or civil government. There 
should indeed be a connection between the Church and State ; 
but it should be of such a character as to leave each one to 
act in its own sphere. The Church should influence the 



352 



HISTORY OF ULHIC ZWII\ T GLE S 



State by moral suasion, and in this way it is perfectly right 
that she should teach from the pulpit the principles which 
should guide our rulers, perfectly right that she should in- 
culcate upon governments the fundamental principles of 
religion and morality, and that she should remonstrate 
against any action which does violence to these fundamen- 
tal principles of justice and truth, and which may justly 
incur the displeasure of Him, who controls the destinies of 
nations, and who will visit national sins with national pun- 
ishments. On the other hand, it is the duty of the State 
to protect the Church in her rights and in the exercise of 
her religious functions, but not to control and govern the 
Church in her own affairs, by civil enactments, nor to con- 
trol the conduct of individuals in a religious respect, unless 
such conduct militates against the peace and good order of 
society by resulting in crime, as in the case of the Anabap- 
tists of Switzerland and the Mormons of America, 

The Swiss, however, in the time of which we are writing, 
had no thought but that they were doing God service by 
fighting sanguinary battles under the banner of the pope. 
■ Their ardor was inflamed by the idea of being engaged in 
the defence of religion and the Church. They were vioto- 
nous. The French were beaten in every direction, and the 
Swiss were honored by the pope with the title of Protectors 
of the Liberties of the Church. 

One of the cantons, however, Bern, remained in the in- 
terest of France, but sent no troops into this campaign. 
It may seem to be a very wrong step for Zwingle, as well 
as other ministers, to accompany the military into these 
campaigns ; but, it must be remembered, that it was the an- 
cient and established custom of the cantons, for the pastor 
of the principal church, and sometimes several pastors, to 
become the chaplains of the army when it took the field. 
There was a benefit in this custom, not only in affording 



HISTORY OF TJLMC ZWINGLE. 



353 



comfort and instruction to the sick and the dying, hut in 
promoting and preserving virtue and religion in the minds 
of the soldiery. In this way, the evil influences of the 
camp and the field were, to some extent, counteracted and 
the soldiery were at least kept from greater moral putre- 
faction. Sentiments of pure patriotism and religion were 
preserved, where otherwise they probably would have en- 
tirely disappeared. Zwingle, by being thus brought into 
Italy, was enabled to see more clearly the corruption of 
morals and religion in the Church, and was thus gradually 
brought to feel the necessity of a reformation. Luther had 
his feelings shocked by observing the low standard of piety 
at Rome." Zwingle had occasion to see the imperfections 
of the Church in the same vicinity. It was a good and wise 
providence, which thus brought these two men into Italy to 
behold the unholy state of the Church, where it ought to 
have been the purest. 

There was another expedition into Italy in 1513, at which 
Zwingle was present. During this expedition, the Swiss 
obtained the splendid victory of Navarre, over a greatly 
superior French force ; but the glory of it was tarnished by 
the conduct of the leaders of the army and also of the sol- 
diery. Their leaders deprived them of their portion of the 
spoils, and the troops arose in mutiny against their officers; 
all discipline ceased, and they dispersed themselves over 
the country, exacting a forced compensation for their servi- 
ces from the people, whom they had saved by their valor. 
A great excitement was the consequence, throughout Switz- 
erland generally, against the corruption in high places, and 
the treachery of the military chiefs. But the guilty parties 
succeeded in appeasing this excitement, and a third expedi- 
tion was undertaken in 1515. 

On this occasion a large army from all the cantons, sta- 
tioned at the base of the mountains bordering on France, 



354 



HISTORY OF ULRIC ZWINGLE. 



awaited the approach of the army of the king of France, 
which was more formidable than any that had preceded it. 
But jealousies existing in the Swiss army, owing to previous 
disappointments and to the known treachery of some of the 
leaders, there was no union and concert among them. The 
king of France, learning this fact, increased the discord by 
his emissaries with whom he sent money and promises to 
buy over the discontented chiefs. He succeeded to some 
extent, and a large portion of the Swiss entered into a 
treaty with him, regardless of their brethren, and retired 
from the contest. The remainder, however, urged by car- 
dinal Shinner, to redeem their ancient glory, engaged in 
battle with the enemy on the plains of Marignan. The 
battle continued two days, Zwingle being with the Glareans, 
who remained faithful to their promises to the duke and the 
pope, and engaged in the battle. On the first day the 
Swiss were victorious ; but on the second day they were 
routed with a terrible slaughter by the superior force of 
the French. Above five thousand Swiss were left dead on 
the field, and among these the noblest and bravest in the 
land. 

It was enough for Zwingle. This was his last campaign 
into Italy. He saw the evil and raised his voice against it. 
He was sick at heart and disgusted, not only with the dis- 
solute and vicious life of the camp, which they well know 
is bad at best who have experienced it ; but with the whole 
proceeding and the cause in which they were engaged and 
its consequences on the nation. Had it been a just cause 
in which they were engaged, he might have excused many 
things ; but the whole custom and the objects had in view 
were altogether unjustifiable. He here saw the perfidious 
arts of the pope, who ought to have been the supporter of 
peace and piety, and of princes who should have ruled in 
righteousness, as well as the corrupting influences of a mil- 



HISTORY OF ULR1C ZWINGLE. 



855 



itary life, and especially of such an one as that to which the 
mercenary service of the Swiss led. The poor soldiers re- 
turned home with vices contracted in the army, which ren- 
dered them worthless as citizens, and a bad example to the 
community to which they returned. 

But we will let Zwingle himself speak on this subject, to 
show how he regarded it, and to show the mind and heart 
of the reformer at this period of his life. In a letter to the 
canton of Schweitz, he argued forcibly against the evils re- 
ferred to. The pope and his emissaries, said he, pretend, 
" that it is unworthy of men so robust and valiant as the 
Swiss, to spend their strength in cultivating barren rocks ; 
that they have only to enlist under the banner of some for- 
eign prince, and they will soon be laden with riches and 
honor. Nothing can be more false than such promises. 
Remember the words of the Saviour, 4 You shall know them 
by their fruits ; do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of 
thistles V They have no object but their own interest, or 
that of the powers who hire them ; they abuse your simpli- 
city ; they expose you to a thousand evils, and gratify the 
ambition and tyranny of princes, at the expense of your 
labors, your dangers, your blood. It would not have cost 
you so much to defend your substance, your country, your 
wives, and your children, as you every day squander in the 
service of strangers. Think how many of your fellow citi- 
zens have perished in the wars of Naples, in the battles of 
Navarre and Milan. What rivers of blood have you not 
shed ! What would you say, were you to see the merce- 
nary soldier, hired with gold, whom you had never injured, 
appearing at your gates, felling your woods, destroying 
your vines, carrying off your flocks, massacreing your chil- 
dren, violating your maidens, unaffected by the tears of 
your wives and your fathers, butchering them before your 
eyes, and setting fire to your dwellings ? Would you not 



356 



HISTORY OF ULRIC ZWINGLE, 



call for fire from heaven to fall on them ? and if you were 
not heard, be tempted to believe that there is no God ? Yet 
this is what yourselves do, allured by the charm of riches, 
and property unjustly acquired. 

Those who plead for this system, say that war is an in- 
strument of punishment in the hand of God, and that God 
must employ for this purpose the ministry of men. It is 
true ; but do you not remember this saying of Christ, " Woe 
to him by whom the offence cometh !'" woe to them who, 
without call, become the instrument of divine vengeance ; 
for after having employed them in the punishment of others, 
God often punishes them in their turn. But, add these in- 
terested advocates, the wars in which we engage are just ; 
they are intended to bring rebels to obedience. If they 
were always thus directed, nothing could be more reasona- 
ble : but in general they are undertaken in support of the 
tyranny, the gratification of the avarice, or the satisfaction 
of the boundless ambition of princes : and of what princes ? 
Of those who ought to rule their subjects by persuasion 
only, of those who ought to set an example of justice and 
moderation, of the pope, bishops and abbeys. 

But what ! say the partizans of foreign powers, our coun- 
try cannot support its inhabitants ; we are forced to leave 
it and seek subsistence in other lands. It is true, it cannot 
support a luxury which is never satisfied, or an unbounded 
love of pleasure. But never was there a country more able 
to support a laborious, modest, and sober people. A mo- 
ment's attention to the fertility of its plains, and the abun- 
dance of its fruits, may convince us of this ; but you despise 
common blessings; you allow yourselves to be deluded by 
the promises of men who wish your ruin. 

Need I speak of the fatal effects, which our wars daily 
produce among us ? Of the perpetual violation of justice, 
the contempt of the laws, and insubordination carried to 



HISTORY OF ULRIC ZWINGLE. 



35T 



such a height, that scarcely a single citizen can be found 
who respects his magistrates ? Need I speak of the cor- 
ruption of manners which our warriors bring back with 
them, of the jealousy and envy, inseparable companions of 
the favors with which our neighbors pay for the blood of 
our children ; passions which expose the independence of our 
common country to the utmost danger ? Oh ! if you still 
have any care of your ancient glory ; if you yet remember 
your forefathers and the dangers they braved for the de- 
fence of their liberty ; if the welfare of your country is dear 
to you, reject the fatal gifts of aspiring princes, reject them 
before it is too late ; suffer yourselves neither to be deceiv- 
ed by the promises of some, nor intimidated by the mena- 
ces of others. I know that I shall draw down on myself 
the indignation of formidable enemies ; but I will not, on 
this account, be silent. I condemn your agreement with 
the pope, whom you have furnished with troops, because it 
is my duty to condemn it. You rob yourselves of your 
natural security by losing your best troops, and expose 
yourselves to the power of your enemies, and after having 
served to gratify their ambition and their avarice, you run 
the risk of becoming also their victims." 

These eloquent arguments of Zwingle found access to the 
hearts of the people, and the practices which they denounce 
were in a great measure abandoned ; and though he created 
bitter enemies to himself, by opposing the system of foreign 
service in which many were interested, because it filled their 
coffers with money ; yet the greater portion of these ene- 
mies subsequently became his friends, when they saw the 
honesty of his heart, and reflected on the justice of his ar- 
guments. " Virtue itself is hated when it steps in a bad 
man's path ; but there is that in it, and there is that in his 
own nature, which compels him to respect it ; and when his 
passions are not aroused, and his reason is suffered to rule, 
30 



HISTORY OF TJLRIC ZWINGLE. 



lie bows spontaneously before men -whom be once bated or 
affected to despise." 

It bas been objected to Zwingle, tbat be took too great 
a part in politics, and tbat he undertook tbe removal of so- 
cial and political evils first, thus beginning at tbe wrong 
end. Without pretending to say tbat be was free from all 
imprudence,— for be would be more tban bum an if be were 
—we cannot but tbink tbat be did not come far from the 
mark, when be denounced tbe immoral practices of the gov- 
ernment, which left a blight on society throughout his be- 
loved country. Would not an American, even at the pres- 
ent day ? raise his voice against an evil which was bringing 
ruin on his country in a moral and religious respect, Have 
we not a parallel ease in the efforts made to stem the tor- 
rent of intemperance, by the passage of the Maine liquor 
law ? Zwingle was a Christian patriot, and his Christian 
patriotism impelled him to reform the abuses of society. 
We honor tbe man for the noble stand he took against the 
vices of his age. 

Did not John Knox of Scotland boldly reprove his rulers 
and denounce the royal family for entering into improper 
alliances ? Did not the Saviour possess this patriotism, 
when he reproved the elders and rulers of the people ; and 
after finding that bis reproofs were ineffectual, did he not 
give vent to bis religious patriotism, when he saw the sub- 
sequent ruin which was coming on Jerusalem ? " Jeru- 
salem, Jerusalem ! thou thatkillest the prophets and stonest 
them that are sent unto thee, how often would I have gath- 
ered thy children together as a ben gathereth her brood 
under her wings, but ye would not." Zwingle may have 
carried his interference in political affairs to an imprudent 
extent ; but in the main, he was right. He indeed placed 
too much reliance on the State as a means of reforming 
society and preparing tbe way for a reformation of the 



HISTORY OF ULRIC ZWINGLE. 



359 



Church. This he acknowledged afterwards ; but still, he 
was right in hoping, that, under God, the State might do 
much for the reformation of morals, and, by protecting the 
free preaching of the gospel, advance the cause of religion. 
His views of the relation of civil government to the religious 
community and the rights of conscience, as these views 
were brought out on occasion of the rise of the Anabaptists 
in Switzerland and Germany, were remarkably clear and 
just ; much more so than those of the first Puritans of New 
England one hundred and fifty years afterwards. He nev- 
er countenanced persecution for opinion's sake. " It is at 
once contrary to the gospel," he said, " to employ violent 
measures to extort a confession of faith contrary to con- 
science. Reason and persuasion are the only arms which 
a Christian ought to employ. If they be insufficient, we 
must be content to expect the conversion of those who are 
still in error, from time and the force of truth. When a 
religious sect professes opinions injurious to the safety of 
society, then, and then only, the magistrate may use his 
power to prevent or punish disorders." 

Zwingle on these points, was far ahead of his times, and 
the principles uttered in the above extract were not practi- 
cally carried out, even by Protestants, for some time after 
the Reformation ; though at this time they have taken a 
firm hold on all Protestant communities, and especially in 
the United States of America. Zwingle was intent only on 
promoting the temporal and spiritual welfare of his country ; 
and when he was brought in contact with that (the foreign 
service) which most immediately retarded the prosperity of 
his country, he had recourse to the most direct and practi- 
cal means of removing it, namely, the governments of the 
cantons: "For he saw," as he thought, "that there would 
only then be room for the heavenly doctrine, when this 
fountain of all evils should be stopped," 



860 



HISTORY OF TJLRIC ZWINGLE. 



Zwingle's clear mind could not but perceive that an ex- 
tensive reformation of doctrine and practice was necessary 
in both Church and State, and like an individual flying 
from danger, he endeavored to remove the first obstacle 
which came in his way. The state of morals and religion 
which he found in Italy, as well as in his own country, was 
far from being such as is required by the doctrines of the 
New Testament. Not only the common people were igno- 
rant of these doctrines ; but the lower order of priests, for 
the most part, could not even read, and the Bible was to 
them an unknown book. 

Notwithstanding the general ignorance, science was in- 
creasing, and minds were awakening to a sense of the er- 
rors and the vices of the times. Still in many places, where 
knowledge existed, there was not a corresponding piety to 
sanctify it. Schuler says : " Besides the brutish stupidity 
of the inferior priests and the people, Zwingle saw, indeed, 
in the great, especially in the higher clergy, and at the 
papal court, examples of a love of science and of the fine 
arts, a species of illumination before which blind supersti- 
tion disappeared ; it gave light to the eye for the reception 
of sensual beauty, and allured to a more refined voluptuous- 
ness; but it shed no light upon the mind to discern what is 
eternal and holy. With a specious culture was joined a 
cheerless infidelity, a flagitious mockery of every thing holy 
and divine, a self-destruction in unbelief and vice. It was 
a love of the fine arts and of science, a patronizing of eru- 
dition, that instantly turned into mortal hatred and furious 
persecution, as soon as an attempt was made to apply them 
to the reformation of faith and life, to the illumination and 
culture of the people, and thus to tread too near the hierar- 
chy and its abuses." 

The chief means by which Zwingle, throughout his course, 
as well as in the beginning, hoped that a reformation could 



liiSTORY OF ULRIC ZWXNGLE. 361 

be effected, was, the free preaching of the gospel, and the 
dissemination of the Holy Scriptures, which had so far gone 
out of use. The Bible was his chief reliance. This he held 
forth as the word of life, and said : " From this alone does 
reformation proceed. Where God speaks to the heart of 
man, no one must force his opinion on another ; the truth 
carries its own evidence in itself, and with itself*" 

Zvfingle's pungent manner, and his opposition to the evils 
of the State offended the ruling party at Glarus, and he 
resolved to leave his charge, if an opportunity offered, fo£ 
another field of labor. This, in the good providence of God, 
was afforded him ; and, accordingly, a short time after his 
return from Milan, he took up his residence at Einsiedlen, 
in the canton of Schweitz. This place* situated in a valley 
between two lofty mountains, covered with perpetual snow, 
arose to a village from the humble beginning of a hermit's 
hut. Hence its name, Einsiedlen, that is the hermitage. 

About five centuries previous to this, Meinhard, the son 
of a German nobleman, retired from the busy world, and 
took up his abode in this place which was then the solitude 
of a gloomy forest, and here erected his tent. He came to 
a violent death, however, by the hand of some cruel person. 
This gave occasion for tales of signs and wonders said to be 
wrought there. A hundred years later a chapel was built 
upon the spot and it is said, when the chapel was dedicated 
to the Virgin Mary, a miraculous voice called out to the 
bishop who was performing the ceremony, in the following 
words: " Forbear I God himself has dedicated it! The 
bishop then informed the people, who inquired how this was 
done, as the story goes, that at midnight, when the breth- 
ren were at prayer, angels were heard most sweetly singing 
the hymns of dedication ! This marvellous story gave rise 
to the belief that God dwelt in this place in a more peculiar 
manner than in any other. The pope gave credit to the 
30* 



862 



HISTORY OP ULRIC ZWINGLE. 



story, and published, that here plenary indulgence should 
be granted to all who would make a pilgrimage hither. 
Hence the inscription over the door of the convent: Here 
is plenary absolution for the guilt and punishment of all 
sin. Besides this, in subsequent times, when the revenues 
of the convent began to fail, a miraculous image of the Vir- 
gin was invented, to draw persons thither from a distance. 
Thousands, accordingly, from all parts of the surrounding 
country annually repaired to Einsiedlen to offer their de- 
votions* 

To this place Zwingle was invited by Theobald of Gerold- 
seck, the proprietor of the convent, a liberal minded man, 
and an encourager of learning. Though Zwingle could not 
but regret, that the ill reception of his labors by some of the 
people of Glarus, compelled him to leave that field, yet, he 
found in Einsiedlen many advantages which he did not there 
enjoy. Here he had the opportunity of speaking to a great- 
er number of persons fiom many parts of the country, and 
thus disseminating correct views of doctrine more exten- 
sively. Here he also had the advantage of the society of 
men of kindred minds with himself, as Francis Zink and 
John Taureolus. Here he also received a greater stimulus 
to study, and enjoyed special facilities for self-improvement. 
He devoted himself especially to the study of the Greek 
language, of which he was an enthusiastic admirer. He 
was ranked amongst the profoundest Greek scholars of that 
age. He thoroughly studied the Bible in the original lan- 
guages, as well as the interpretations given of it by the 
fathers. By this means, he discovered more and more, the 
difference between some of the doctrines and practices of 
the Church and the teachings of the Scriptures. 

In recommending the writings of Jerome to Geroldseck, 
as a help in understanding the Scriptures, he said, " If God 
will, the time will soon be at hand, when neither Jerome, nor 



HISTORY OF ULEIC ZWINGLE. 



263 



any other, but the Scriptures only, will have much weight 
with Christians." "While he acknowledged the use of com- 
mentators and the importance of the articles of the Apos- 
tles' Creed, and the doctrines of the primitive Church, as 
they were handed down in connection with their history to 
his own time, as means by which to properly understand the 
Bible, he, at the same time, fully believed that the Scrip- 
tures were the highest standard and norm of authority, and 
that, whilst tradition aided in coming to a proper knowledge 
of Scripture, Scripture was, at the same time, the highest, 
standard by which to judge of the correctness of tradition 
or doctrine. This was the true medium. Whilst, on the 
one hand, sectarianism rejects all tradition so far as sys- 
tems of doctrine and articles of faith are concerned, except 
its own, which it assumes to be the only and entirely cor- 
rect explanation of the Scriptures, and thus runs into divis- 
ion and disorganization of the Church ; on the other hand, 
the Roman Catholics place their tradition above the Bible, 
practically, at least, which will always leave them to run 
into error ; for it is too exclusively following human guid- 
ance, inasmuch as the doctrine of infallibility of the Church 
is absurd and cannot be relied on ; for it is plain that the 
Roman Catholic Church is defective. For her, therefore, 
to expect entire uniformity of belief on all points, is un- 
reasonable : it is impossible. To accomplish it, man's rea- 
son, the noblest powers of his mind, would have to be de- 
stroyed. You cannot chain down the human spirit to uni- 
formity in nonessentials, much less in that which is absurd 
and false. The only way to arrive at truth in doubtful 
matters, is by investigation or by trial. " Heresies will arise, 
that they that are approved may be made manifest." To 
require uniformity and submission in nonessentials is the 
first step to division. 

Zwingle's prediction has been, in a great measure, fulfill- 



864 



HISTORY OF tiLRlC ZWINGLE. 



ed ; for with all its abuse^ misuse, and perversion, the Bible, 
though not "the religion of Protestants," is the highest 
rule and exponent of that religion, as well as the chief man- 
ual by which to enlighten the mind and edify the heart of 
the individual members of the Church. This idea has taken 
firm possession of the Protestant Christians. The Bible, 
to them, is the only infallible guide in itself, and as such, 
is an object of faith. The only question, and a very im- 
portant one, is, How shall we come to a proper knowledge 
of its contents in that which is doubtful as Well as in that 
which is clear ? The only way to accomplish this object, is 
by taking such helps as we have ; first the Apostles' Creed, 
and the whole doctrine of the Church or systematic theolo- 
gy, and the history and development of truth and heresy. 
Time will show every doctrine of what sort it is, by its prac- 
tical workings viewed in the light of Scripture. And sec- 
ondly, the directing and witnessing influence of the Holy 
Spirit, in connection with the means of grace. The Saviour 
says : " When he, the Spirit of truth is come, he will guide 
you into all truth." And again : " That he may abide with 
you for ever." These are the means by which we may be 
properly guided in our investigations of religious truth ; and 
these Zwingle employed, and by the decisions of the Church, 
in connection with these means, he was willing to abide. 

He was anxious, that the Church should enter on the 
investigation of her doctrines with the Scriptures for her 
guide, and he made strenuous efforts to bring this about. 
He wrote letters to the bishop of Constance, showing the 
necessity of a reformation, and desiring him, together with 
the pope, to direct the clergy to efforts for accomplishing 
it. The pope, however, refused ; but Zwingle continued to 
study the Bible, with such helps as he had at command. 
To the Bible he clung as, when rightly interpreted, the 
word of God in a peculiar manner. The gospel, he affirm- 



HISTORY OF ULRIC ZWINGLE. 



365 



ed, is above all human authority, and is the only infallible 
rule of faith, the only infallible standard of Christian truth. 

His diligent study of the Bible, at this time, kindled in 
him a holy enthusiasm for truth, which he soon succeeded 
in infusing into the circle of his learned friends at Einsied- 
len. " His eminent abilities and excellent character secured 
to him a personal influence, which he exerted for the noblest 
ends and with happy effect. The whole convent, with one 
single exception, were brought over to his religious senti- 
ments. The light, broke in upon their vision, and shone 
with increasing brightness from day to day. The Bible 
was before them and was no longer a sealed book." His 
success in Einsiedlen was all that heart could wish. He 
was inspired with courage and began to hope that this good 
beginning was the harbinger of a general reformation. He 
had no thoughts as yet of separating from the Roman 
Church, but as the Roman Church acknowledged the Bible 
to be the inspired word of God, he expected it would be in- 
fluenced by the example of himself and colleagues to aid in, 
or at least permit a reformation. He had hopes that all 
could agree upon the Bible. He proceeded from the be- 
ginning upon the principle, That the authority of the gos- 
pel is above all human authority. Scripture must be ex- 
plained by Scripture : the free preaching of the gospel must 
be permitted and thereby, under the superintendence of the 
pope and the heirarchy, the Church reformed. 

It was not long, however, until he found that the pope 
would not sanction his principles, and he accordingly had 
recourse to efforts by which the pope might be deprived of 
his power of dictation. He conferred with Capito by letter 
about the way or means of subjecting the pope to the au- 
thority of the gospel, and leaving him nothing more than 
" the first rank among the ministers of the Church." His 
plan seems to have been to appeal to the Scriptures which 



366 



HISTORY OF ULRIC ZWINGLE. 



the pope himself acknowledged. In the mean time, he de- 
voted himself to the elucidation of the written word of God, 
to all who came to Einsiedlen from far and near ; and of 
these there were not a few. Thus he was enabled to sow, 
broadcast, the seeds of the reformation, which followed in 
Switzerland and Germany. 

The manner and matter of his preaching was in accord- 
ance with the gospel. " He denied the efficacy of indul- 
gences, or of absolutions that were granted for money, and 
exploded the merit of vows, pilgrimages or other works that 
were designed to propitiate the Deity ; and he enjoined upon 
all to look to the state of their hearts and to strive after 
internal purity, if they would render to God an acceptable 
service." He directed his hearers to Jesus Christ as the 
means and medium by which they could render obedience 
to God— by which they could obtain pardon and sanctifica- 
tion. He practically taught the doctrine of direct union 
and communion with God, through the person of Jesus 
Christ, by prayer and the exercise of faith, in connection 
with the means of grace in the Church ; and if any after 
him ran into rationalistic errors, and denied the efficacy of 
grace by the means in the Church, it was not by the sanc- 
tion of his example ; for he loved the Church dearly. It 
was because he loved the Church, however, that he wished 
to aid in bringing her back, where she had departed from 
the faith, and in leading her forward, where she had not 
fulfilled her mission and design. 

Thus he continued to explain the doctrines of the gospel, 
when, on the occasion of the festival in commemoration of 
the angelic dedication of the convent, when countless num- 
bers from all parts of the country were present to pay their 
devotions at this shrine of the Virgin, he proclaimed in a 
peculiar and powerful manner the pure gospel of Christ, 
and exposed the superstitions of the people. Viewing the 



HISTORY OF ULMC ZWINGLE. 



367 



multitude, who anxiously came here to obtain peace to their 
consciences, his soul was moved with compassion toward 
them, and he eloquently pointed out to them the true way 
of salvation for the oppressed and bewildered soul. " If 
any thing,' 5 says Schuler, " could equal the effect of Peter's 
first sermon in Jerusalem, or Paul's preaching in Asia Mi- 
nor, it was this sermon of the Reformer.' 5 " Universal as- 
tonishment filled the agitated multitude. Many wondered 
that the preacher was not miraculously smitten on the spot, 
as a proof of the Virgin's abhorrence." The greater num- 
ber, however, were favorably impressed, being unable to 
withstand the power and wisdom of Zwingle's words. 
" Crowds of them, both high and low, returned to their 
homes agitated with various feelings, and proclaimed to those 
whom they met on their way the new doctrine they had 
heard at JEinsiedlen. These caught the same spirit, and 
turned away to ponder on the strange occurrence, or to 
communicate their feelings and to spread the infection." 
Einsiedlen especially was reformed. The people became 
captivated with the truth, and willingly submitted to the 
temporal loss they sustained, by reason of the falling off of 
the number of the pilgrims ; for they were persuaded, that 
the money received from these visitors, was the wages of 
unrighteousness. 

During this same year, a man by the name of Sampson was 
passing through Switzerland, on the authority and by the 
direction of the pope, selling indulgences : or in plainer 
words, pronouncing the forgiveness of sins for money. His 
appearance seems to have occasioned Zwingle to come out 
so boldly against the indulgences and other kindred errors 
at this time, Zwingle felt secure in opposing these errors ; 
for he knew that he v^as sustained by the Scriptures, which 
the Catholic Church acknowledged; and the only reason 
why he was not rigorously dealt with, was his excellent 



368 



HISTORY OF ULRIC ZWINGLE. 



character. He was known as a lover of his country, who 
wished to do his best in promoting its welfare. The pope 
knew more of Zwingle at this time than he did of Luther, 
and yet he did not excommunicate him. Through the rep- 
resentations of cardinal Shinner, who was Zwingle's friend, 
he was induced, no doubt, to be more lenient. "He knew 
him as a man of refined taste and elegant literature, as a 
Swiss patriot, whose influence was extensively felt in his 
own country," and he preferred to win him with kindness, 
if possible, knowing that the high spirited Swiss could be 
more effectually gained in this way than by severity. In 
this manner he was left unmolested during his stay at Ein- 
siedlen. 

His popularity had now spread over Switzerland, and in 
this same year, 1518, he was elected to the office of pastor 
in the Great Minster— the principal church in Zurich. 
Zurich had become a centre of learning and influence. " A 
purer patriotism prevailed at that time, than had preceded 
it, and the government was administered by a wise and 
magnanimous council." Zwingle, therefore, cheerfully ac- 
cepted the office, as it afforded him a greater scope to effect 
his cherished design at reformation. 

Being set as a guide on the walls of Zion, he was anxious 
to guide the minds of the people into the right channel. 
He was fully convinced; for he beheld tokens on every side, 
that the people were being aroused to inquiry, and to a 
sense of the need of a reformation of many things, which 
had become odious to conscience and common sense. And 
he was fearful, that, if they were not properly guided, they 
would break over wholesome restraint and run into worse 
errors, than those which they would reject. His fears were 
well grounded ; for he found it difficult to prevent excesses 
in the subsequent course of events in Switzerland. Indeed 
this is a difficulty, which has its foundation in human nature, 



HISTORY OF ULRIC ZWINGLE. 



369 



and has existed in every age of the world ; for nothing is 
more difficult than to get people to think right. Yet this 
is the only proper way of guiding them into the truth. 
You cannot chain down the mind to blind submission to au- 
thority. This is impossible. The understanding must be 
enlightened. Faith should submit only to the authority of 
the word of God — to the truths which are clearly revealed. 
The mind should have free scope, and thus become a law to 
itself, submitting only to the authority of truth, and direct- 
ing its energies to those things which are expedient and 
useful. Faith should bind the mind and will to the truth as 
it is in Jesus, and hope should stimulate to exertion, while 
charity should constrain to the performance of duty, and 
the promotion of the welfare of the Church. 

Zwingle, as preacher in Zurich, now entered with dili- 
gence on the work of expounding the Scriptures. He took 
a new course in his expositions. Instead of explaining only 
the select portions, which had been given for this purpose, 
he went over several books of the New Testament in or- 
der. In this manner he was enabled more fully to bring 
out "the whole counsel of God." On the first day of the 
year 1519, which was also his thirty-fifth birth day, Zwin- 
gle preached his first sermon in the pulpit of the cathedral. 
A great crowd was collected to hear him. " It is to Christ," 
said Zwingle, " that I desire to lead you ; to Christ the true 
source of salvation. His divine Word is the only food I 
wish to set before your hearts and souls." 

The next day, which was Sunday, a still greater multi- 
tude assembled. Zwingle opened to the first chapter of 
Matthew, and discoursed on the history of the patriarchs and 
prophets, explaining the gospel in such a manner, that the 
hearers exclaimed : " We never heard the like of this before." 
Thus he went over the whole of Matthew. " Setting forth 
the highest truths of the gospel in simple language, his 
31 



870 



HISTORY OF ULRIC ZWINGLE. 



preaching reached all classes, the learned and the ignorant. 3 ' 
All this, however, did not make him proud or vain. He 
was too pious and of too great and noble a mind to be thus 
influenced. " All his strength, and all the delight of his 
heart was in God." Two men of learning and distinction, 
who came to hear Zwingle's first sermon, said, as they re- 
tired : "Glory be to God! this man is a preacher of the 
truth. He will be our Moses to lead us out of the Egyp- 
tian darkness. After a while, however, those who were 
unwilling to see a reformation take place, raised their voi- 
ces against him. " Some laughed and joked ; others gave 
utterance to violent threats ; but he endured all with Chris- 
tian patience." He was accustomed to say : " If we desire 
to gain over the wicked to Jesus Christ, we must shut our 
eyes to many things." 

He performed his duty as a true pastor. His character 
and his deportment towards all men contributed as much as 
his discourses, to win their hearts. " He was at once a 
true Christian and a true republican. The equality of man- 
kind was not with him a mere conventional term ; it was 
written in his heart, and shown by his life. Men felt at- 
tracted towards him, and were at ease in his society. Bold 
and energetic in the pulpit, he was affable to all whom he 
met in the streets or public places. He addressed peasants 
and patricians with the same cordiality." One of his most 
violent enemies says : " He invited the country people to 
dine with him, walked with them, talked to them of God, 
put the devil in their hearts, and his books into their 
pockets." 

As he did previously, so now he continued to cultivate 
music with moderation. His opponents, in derision, called 
him "the evangelical lute player and fifer." Faber hav- 
ing one day censured him for his taste, he replied: "My 
dear Faber, you do not know what music is. True, I have 



HISTORY OF ULRIC ZWINGLE. 



371 



learned to play on the lute, the violin, and other instru- 
ments, and they serve me to quiet little children ; but you 
are too holy for music ! Do you not know, that David was 
a skillful player on the harp, and how by this means he 
drove the evil spirit out of Saul ? Ah ! if you did but know 
the sounds of the heavenly lyre, the wicked spirit of ambi- 
tion and love of riches, which possess you, would soon de- 
part likewise." Music afforded him relaxation and pleasure 
in the intervals of study. He was a hard student and a 
true spiritual shepherd. " He would eat and drink with 
all who invited him ; he despised no one ; he was compassion- 
ate to the poor ; always steadfast and cheerful in good and 
evil fortune. No misfortune alarmed him; his conversa- 
tion was at all times full of consolation and his heart firm." 
Thus his popularity could not but increase, while he imita- 
ted his divine Master, going about doing good. 

A circumstance took place shortly after his settlement 
at Zurich, which called forth Zwingle's zeal in a more than 
ordinary manner. Sampson, the famous indulgence mer- 
chant, was approaching Zurich, saying: "lam aware, that 
Zwmgle will speak against me ; but I will stop his mouth." 
"BufZwingle had drunk too deep in the fountain of salva- 
tion, and felt too truly the sweetness of God's forgiving 
love, not to attack the papist indulgences of these men. 
Though often trembling in view of his sinfulness, he found 
mercy of the Lord, and justification in Christ. He rejoiced 
in "the Lord our righteousness." "When my heart is 
troubled because of my helplessness, and the weakness of 
my flesh," said he, " my spirit is revived at these glad 
tidings : < Christ is thy innocence ! Christ is thy righteous- 
ness?' " In view of such truths, Zwingle feared not to at- 
tack the traffic of Sampson. " No man," said he, " can re- 
mit sin ; Christ, who is very God and very man, alone has 
this power. Go ! buy indulgences— but be assured, that 



372 



HISTORY OF ULRIC ZWINGLE. 



you are not absolved. Those who sell remission of sins for 
money, are the companions of Simon the magician, the 
friends of Balaam, and ambassadors of Satan." 

Sampson was not admitted into Zurich to sell indulgen- 
ces. He left in anger and soon after returned to Italy. 

Like all laborious pastors, Zwingle needed relaxation. 
Accordingly he hastened to the baths of Pfeffers. These 
baths are situated on the waters of the Jamina, where it 
pours its impetuous torrent over the rocks into a deep gulf, 
called by a hermit, the infernal gulf, in which the dwel- 
lings are perpetually shaken by the fall of the torrent, and 
moistened by the spray of its broken waters. "Torches 
were required to be burned at noon-day in the house where 
Zwingle lodged. It was even asserted by the inhabitants, 
that frightful spectres appeared sometimes amid the gloom." 

While here, Zwingle suddenly received the intelligence 
that an epidemic disease, called the great death, had broken 
out m Zurich. He returned immediately, and mingled 
among the sick and dying ; bat was soon attacked himself 
by the plague. " His thoughts were now turned inwards ; 
his eyes were directed to heaven," and he vented the feel- 
ings of his heart in a hymn, the sense of which may be 
translated as follows : 

Lo ! at the door 
I hear death's knock ! 
Shield me, Lord, 
My strength and rock. 

The hand once nailed 
Upon the tree, 
Jesus, uplift — 
And shelter me. 

Wiliest thou, then, 
Death conquer me 
In my noon-day ? 
So let it be ! 



HISTORY OP ULRIC ZWINGLE. 



373 



Oh ! may I die, 
Since I am thine; 
Thy home is made 
For faith like mine ! 

Further on he exclaimed : 

My pains increase : 
Lord, stand thou near. 
Body and soul 
Dissolve -with fear. 

Now death is near, 
My tongue is dumb : 
Fight for me, Lord ; 
Mine hour is come ! 

See, Satan's net 
Is o'er me tossed,— 
I feel his hand — ■ 
Must I be lost ? 

His shafts, his voice 
Alarm no more ; 
For here I lie 
Thy cross before. 

He was nearly gone, and his friends were greatly alarm- 
ed. The news went abroad that he was actually dead. 
" Alas !" exclaimed Hedio in tears, " the preserver of our 
country, the trumpet of the gospel, the magnanimous herald 
of truth, is cut down in the spring-tide of his life." But 
he was agreeably disappointed. Zwingle once more stood 
up to proclaim the gospel— to place the bright candle of the 
Lord on the candlestick of the Church. The disease had 
fled, and Zwingle with gratitude exclaimed : 

My God, my sire, 
Healed by thy hand, 
Upon the earth 
Once more I stand. 

From guilt and sin 
May I be free ! 
My mouth shall sing 
31* Alone of the©! 



374 



HISTORY OF ULRIC ZWINGLE. 



The uncertain hour 
For me will come — 
O'erwhelmed, perchance, 
With deeper gloom. 

It matters not ! 

With joy I'll bear 

My yoke, until 

I reach heaven's sphere. 

Zwingle's zeal and preaching against the sins of the 
Church awakened more and more opposition. " One day, 
as Zwingle and his curates were quietly conversing in their 
house, some citizens entered hastily, saying : " Have you 
strong bolts to your doors ? Be on your guard to-night." 
They often had such alarms. 

What increased the enmity still more, was Zwingle's op- 
position to the foreign war, into which the cantons of Switz- 
erland were again about this time entering. After the first 
enlistment, Zurich refused to furnish any more troops. A 
defeat was sustained by the Swiss in the service of the king 
of France, and the confederates returned home exasperated 
against Zwingle, whom they charged with being the cause 
of all their calamities. This unfortunate concurrence of 
circumstances hindered the reformation in Switzerland 
greatly. It was confined to narrower limits, than it other- 
wise would have been. Zurich, however, sided with Zwin- 
gle, and in the end, the greater part of Switzerland adopt- 
ed the doctrines of the Reform. 

About this time a monk of Avignon, Francis Lambert, 
came to visit Zwingle. This Frenchman had found some 
of the writings of Luther in his cell, and having left the 
convent, he went about preaching some of the doctrines of 
the Reformers. Zwingle, highly delighted, opened the 
church of Zurich to him. In three sermons Lambert preach- 
ed forcibly against the errors of Rome, but in the fourth he 



HISTORY OP ULRIC ZWINGLE. 



375 



defended the invocation of Mary and of the saints. " Broth- 
er ! thou art mistaken," said Zvvingle. Some persons 
present, unfriendly to Zwingle, rejoiced to see him thus op- 
posed, and said to Lambert : " He has attacked you. De- 
mand a public discussion." The monk of Avignon did so. 
The discussion was opened by the Reformer, who continued 
discussing and explaining passages of Scripture until 2 
o'clock, when the Frenchman clasping his hands and raising 
them to heaven, exclaimed : " I thank thee, God, that, by 
means of such an illustrious instrument, thou hast brought 
me to so clear a knowledge of the truth ! " " Henceforth," 
added he, turning to the assembly, " in all my tribula- 
tions, I will call on God alone, and will throw aside my 
beads. To-morrow I will resume my journey ; I am going 
to Basle to see Erasmus of Rotterdam, and from thence to 
Wittemberg, to visit Martin Luther, the Augustine monk." 

The forced celibacy of the clergy was a practice early 
opposed by the reformers. Zwingle, about this time, car- 
ried his theory into practice, and entered into the bonds of 
holy wedlock. He married Anna Reinhard, the widow of 
Meyer of Knonau, a pious and most excellent lady, well 
fitted to be his companion for life. He realized all the ob- 
ligations and the affections of the conjugal state. He term- 
ed it, " A most holy alliance." " In like manner," said he, 
" as Christ died for his followers, and gave himself entirely 
for them, so should married persons do all and suffer all 
for one another." 

Zwingle being now greatly misrepresented and his ene- 
mies becoming emboldened by the late decision of the diet 
of Worms against Luther, he solicited a public conference 
in which he might be permitted to defend himself against 
the charge of heresy. Accordingly the conference was 
held, and he was entirely successful in repelling the accu- 
sations brought against him by the bishop of Constance as 



376 



HISTOEY OP ULHIC ZWINGLE. 



well as others ; not, however, by proving that there was no 
difference between himself and his opponents, but by prov- 
ing from the Bible the correctness of his position. 

During these times, when he was persecuted, and in dan- 
ger of being crushed, his five brothers who continued to re- 
side in the mountains of Tockenburg, and who remained in 
their allegiance to Rome, addressed him with great concern, 
dissuading him from his course. They had heard reports, 
exaggerated no doubt, that he had departed from the sim- 
ple faith of the gospel, "and they pictured to themselves 
their brother dragged before the bishop of Constance, and a 
pile erected for his destruction on the same spot where John 
Kuss had perished in the flames." They could not endure 
to be called the brother of a heretic and expressed their fears 
and disapprobation accordingly. Zwingle reolied : " I 
know everything that can befall me. There is no danger, 
no misfortune that I have not carefully weighed long ago. 
Banish all anxiety, dear brothers. If I have any fear, it is 
lest I have been milder and gentler than suits our times. 
What reproach (you say) will be cast upon our family, if 
you be burnt— 0, my dear brothers, all my labors have no 
other aim than to proclaim to men the treasures of happi- 
ness which Christ hath purchased for us. If this doctrine 
scandalizes you, your anger cannot stop me. You are my 
brothers— yes ! my own brothers, sons of the same father, 
fruit of the same womb ; but if you were not my brothers 
in Christ, and in the work of faith, then my grief would be 
so violent, that nothing could equal it. Farewell— I shall 
never cease to be your affectionate brother, if you will only 
not cease to be the brethren of Jesus Christ." 

The contest was evidently growing hotter and hotter be- 
tween the advocates of the fundamental, but much neglected 
teachings of the Holy Scriptures, and the advocates of the 
nonessential and often evil and false teachings of the mis- 



HISTORY OF ULRIC ZWINGLE. 



377 



taken and false tradition of the Pope. Zwingle's penetra- 
ting eye saw the contest that was coming on. His own 
relations were turning against him ; the monks and the 
priests were uniting to oppose him. He had enemies in 
the council of Zurich. And the general diet of the con- 
federacy was likely to be against him. The majority of the 
cantons seemed determined to engage in foreign war, and 
especially in aid of the pope " to pour forth their invincible 
phalanxes from the mountains of Switzerland to save Rome, 
and annihilate, at the cost of their lives, the rising faith of 
the sons of the Reformation." Zwingle shuddered at the 
prospect. What a future ! Shall the work, hardly begun, 
be destroyed ? Oppressed with these thoughts and tremb- 
ling with anxiety, Zwingle poured forth his soul in prayer : 
" Jesus, thou seest how the wicked and the blasphemous 
stun thy people's ears with their clamors. Thou knowest 
how from my childhood I have hated all dispute, and yet, 
in despite of myself, Thou hast not ceased to impel me to 
the conflict. Therefore, do I call upon Thee with confidence 
to complete what Thou hast begun. If I have built any- 
thing wrongly, do thou throw it down with Thy mighty 
hand. If I have laid any other foundation than Thee, let 
thy powerful arm destroy it. vine abounding in sweet- 
ness, whose husbandman is the Father, and whose branches 
are we, do not abandon thy shoots. For thou hast promis- 
ed to be with us until the end of the world." This was a 
prayer of faith, and was, in a measure at least, fulfilled. 
There is nothing like trusting with implicit confidence in 
Gocl ; and this was a distinguishing characteristic of the 
Reformers. It was impossible that those who had the wit- 
nessing influence of the Spirit should pray altogether in 
vain. It was reasonable that God in his own good time and 
way should hear and answer their prayers. 

But Zwingle was called to behold other obstacles arising 



378 



HISTORY OF ULRIC ZWINGLE. 



to hinder the Reformation, than those which presented 
themselves from without. There were obstacles within as 
well as without. What heightened the difficulties of our 
Reformer was the mistakes of his friends. 

About this time a fanatical party arose, who were termed 
Anabaptists. Their zeal was not according to knowledge. 
They opposed infant baptism ; pretended to receive direct 
divine revelations from heaven, aside from the Scripture ; 
and refused to obey the laws of the country. By this sect 
many good people were turned aside and their assistance lost 
to the Reformation. Moreover, the excesses and errors of 
this sect gave a handle to the friends of Rome to accuse 
the Reformation of evil consequences. However, these 
consequences were not the necessary result of the new move- 
ment, but the extremes to which some persons went, as is 
the case in every movement of importance, and which in- 
volves difficult problems in the Christian religion, owing to 
the weakness and imperfections of the human mind. 

The Anabaptists, endeavoring to be strict and precise in 
religious observances, now gave themselves up to all manner 
of childish and ridiculous conceits. From the words of the 
Saviour exhorting us to become like little children, " these 
unhappy creatures began to clap their hands and skip about 
the streets, to dance in a ring, sit on the ground, and tumble 
each other about in the dust. Some burned the Xew Tes- 
tament, saying : ' The letter killeth, the Spirit giveth life.' 
Others falling into convulsions, pretended to have revela- 
tions from the Holy Ghost." 

An aged farmer, John Shucker, near St. Gall, had a 
meeting and festival of these deluded people at his house. 
The night was passed in fanatical exercises, convulsions, 
visions and revelations. In the morning, two of his sons, 
Thomas and Leonard, who were distinguished for their fa- 
naticism, being still heated by the excitement of the m<*ht. 



HISTORY OF XJLRIC ZWINGLE. 379 

lost their reason. Thomas took the bladder of the calf 
which had been slain for the festival, and dipped it m the 
crall, in imitation of the figurative language of the prophets, 
and approached his brother, saying with a slow, solemn voice, 
" Thus hitter is the death thou art to suffer." Then adding, 
« Brother Leonard, kneel down ;" Leonard fell on his knees. 
Again : " Brother Leonard, arise ;" Leonard stood up. The 
family and others looked on with astonishment, wondering 
what would be the result. Thomas quickly resumed: 
"Leonard, kneel down again." He did so. The specta- 
tors were alarmed in view of his manner and appearance. 
« Fear not," said Thomas, "nothing will happen but the 
will of God," and hastily taking a sword, he cut off his head, 
exclaiming : " Now the will of the Lord is accomplished," 
and rushing out of the house, he entered the house of the 
burgomaster Joachim Yadian, saying to him : " I proclaim 
to thee the day of the Lord." 

Such were the excesses of the Anabaptists. To oppose 
them Zwingle had a public discussion in the council-hall of 
Zurich, in which he defended the following propositions : 
" Children bom of believing parents, are children of God, 
like those who were born under the Old Testament, and 
consequently may receive baptism. 

« Baptism, under the New Testament, is what circumcis- 
ion was under the Old ; consequently baptism ought now 
to be administered to children, as circumcision was form- 
erly« 

" "We cannot prove the custom of re-baptizing, either by 
example, texts, or arguments drawn from Scripture ; and 
those who are re-baptized, crucify Jesus Christ afresh." 

But Zwingle had a still more serious difficulty, and one 
which o-ave him, if possible, still greater concern than that 
of the errors of the Anabaptists. This was the difference 
of his views on the nature of the real presence of Christ m 



380 HISTORY OF ULEIC ZWINGLE. 

the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, from those of Luther, 
his illustrious coadjutor of Germany. This sacrament, of 
which it is enough to say, that it i S of divine appointment 
and an excellent means of grace, and around which, as the 
representation and seal of this mystery of divine influence, 
of regeneration, and sanctification, cluster all the holy and 
constraining motives, principles, and truths of the Christian 

Church ' ^ engaged aUenti0n Btad 7 0f the 
By degrees Luther and Zwingle came to differ in their 
views of the^ nature of this sacrament. The extremes of 
the Anabaptists in rejecting infant baptism, and denyi 
the presence of Christ in the Lord's Supper, as well 



mg 



as 



pretending to particular inspiration, and breaking ir 
drove Luther to the opposite extreme ■ 
the human flesh of Christ was present 

a i i • . . iJiebeiiL in me sacrament 

And his opposition to a more reasonable view, was increas 



g that 



-~ — uu ^ ic view, was mcreas- 
ed by some personal difficulties which he had with the fa- 
natics and particularly with Andrew Bodenstein, (Carl- 
stadt,) his former friend and coadjutor at Wittemberg. A 
party spirit was thus gotten up, in which passion had more 
to do than conscience; and Carlstadt, being driven from 
Germany, fled to Switzerland and conferred with Zwingle 
These two tendencies, which originally existed, in explain 
ng the mode of the Saviour's presence in the Eucharist, 
thus took an unhappy turn, which finally resulted in sepa- 
ration and division This, perhaps, was necessary, in the 
pi evidence of God, in order that the precious truth or 
truths, which lay between, might be the more fully appre- 
ciated in the end. Thus God brings good out of evil 

When Zwmgle ascertained that he differed from the Sax- 
on Reformer on the question of the Eucharist, he feared 
the consequences. Luther, on the other hand, not aware 
of the opposition he was encountering, did not hesitate to 



HISTORY OF ULRIC ZWINGLE. 



381 



class Zwingle and his friends with Carlstadt and the other 
fanatics. Having vanquished Carlstadt and the enthusiasts 
of Germany with great ease, and successfully opposed Rome, 
and having thus become accustomed to conquer, he feared 
not to encounter the small band of Swiss reformers. But 
he was made to feel, that their conquest was not so easy. 
In spite of all his skill at argument, and his eloquence in 
debate, the opposition made headway against him. The 
fact was, Luther here for once made a great mistake, and 
his popularity alone perhaps prevepted the Reformed ten- 
dency from succeeding entirely. But it was all for the 
best, as is shown at the present day, by the extreme to 
which some are liable to go, in denying any real presence 
of Christ in the supper. 

Luther, having attacked his friend Zwingle, the latter no 
longer hesitated, and published a letter written to a minis- 
ter named Albert, together with a Commentary on true and 
false religion, in which he defended his views. 

Different persons now ranged themselves with the one or 
the other party. (Ecolampadius, whose birth place was 
Weinsberg, about five miles from the city of Heidelberg, 
and who had been considered a firm friend of Luther, now 
occupying the position of pastor of the church of Basle in 
Switzerland, came out in support of the views of Zwingle. 
This truly amiable, learned and excellent person was univer- 
sally respected, wherever he was known. So mild, affable 
and serious was he, that his very appearance inspired the 
beholder with reverence. When he led the debate against 
Dr. Eck at Baden, his enemies were heard to say : " Would 
that the tall sallow man were on our side." 

" The mere fact," says D'Aubigne, "that CEcolampa- 
nius had joined the reformer of Zurich, excited an immense 
sensation, not only in Basle but in all Germany. Luther 
was deeply affected by it." 
32 



882 



HISTORY OF TJLRI0 ZWINGLE. 



Luther had a conviction, however, that he was right ; 
but this conviction was produced rather, by the danger 
which he thought he saw in the doctrines of his opponents, 
than by the consistency of his own. Having this convic- 
tion, he cast himself, with all the impetuosity of his nature? 
on the other side, and with his characteristic obstinacy? 
maintained his position. It is lamentable to behold, how 
he labored and toiled to prove his points ; for with all his 
ability, a great deal of his argumentation was but a play 
upon words. The calm dignity, with which (Ecolampadius 
met him, and rebutted his arguments, stands in enviable 
contrast with the blustering and rude attacks of Luther. 

This controversy, which Luther expected to be brief, con- 
tinued to disturb him to the end of his life. It is said that 
his mental efforts in this controversy, affected his health. 
One day he fainted in the arms of his wife and friends ; he 
was a whole week as if in " death and hell." " He had 
lost Jesus Christ," he said, " and was tossed to and fro by 
the tempests of despair. The world was passing away, and 
announcing by prodigies, that the last day was at hand." 

Philip, the landgrave of Hesse, seeing that the dissen- 
tions of the Protestants were likely to prove the ruin of their 
own cause, requested the two champions and their friends? 
to meet at Marburg and hold a conference, for the purpose 
of reconciling their differences, if possible. The confer- 
ence was held. 

Luther rose and said : u I differ from my adversaries 
with regard to the doctrine of the Lord's Supper, and I 
shall always differ from them. Christ has said, This is my 
body. Let them show me that a body is not a body. I 
reject reason, common sense, carnal argument, and mathe- 
matical proof. God is above mathematics. We have the 
word of God ; we must adore it and perform it." 

(Ecolampadius answered : " There are figures of speech 



HISTORY OF ULRIC ZWINGLE. 



383 



in the word of God ; as John is Elias ; the rock was Christ ; 
I am the vine. The expression, This is my body, is a fig- 
ure of the same kind." To prove it, he employed the fol- 
lowing syllogism ; 

" What Christ rejected in the sixth chapter of John, ha 
could not admit in the words of the Eucharist. Now, 
Christ, who said to the people of Capernaum, The flesh 
profiteth nothing, rejected by those very words, the oral 
manducation of his body. Therefore he did not establish 
it at the institution of his Supper." 

Luther contended, however, that there was a kind of 
eating of Christ's flesh with the mouth, which Christ did not 
reject. 

(Ecolampadius replied: "Eating of the flesh at all ? 
with the mouth, is useless." 

Zwingle now joined in the discussion. " We must ex- 
plain Scripture by Scripture," said he ; " we cannot admit 
of two kinds of corporeal manducation, as if Jesus had spo- 
ken of eating, and the Capernaites of tearing in pieces ; for 
the same word is employed in both cases. Jesus says, that 
eating his flesh corporeally profiteth nothing ; whence it 
would result, that he had given us in the Supper a thing 
that would be useless to us." 

Luther. — " When Christ says the flesh profiteth nothing, 
he is speaking not of his own flesh, but of ours." 

Zwingle.—" The soul is fed with the Spirit, and not with 
the flesh." 

Luther.—" It is with the mouth that we eat the body ; 
the soul does not eat it." 

Zwingle. — " Christ's body is, therefore, a corporeal nour- 
ishment, and not a spiritual." 

Luther. — " You are captious." 

Zwingle.— 4 ' Not so ; but you utter contradictory things." 
Luther.—-" If God should present me wild apples, I should 



384 



HISTORY OF ULRIC ZWINQLE. 



eat them spiritually. In the Eucharist, the mouth receives 
the body of Christ, and the soul believes in his words." 

This was a curious view. " Eat wild apples spiritually I" 
Everything was thus jumbled together, and the spirituality 
of a religious act consisted in obeying the command and 
will of God. With all his freeness, Luther here went far 
in returning to the formality and legalism of Rome. 

Francis Lambert, formerly a monk of Avignon, and 
now a professor at Marburg, who had been of Luther's 
opinion, after hearing Zwingle and (Ecolampadius, exclaim- 
ed : 44 Yes ! the Spirit ; it is the Spirit which vivifies." 

The Wittembergers pronounced this change of views, 
" French fickleness." But Lambert referred to the con- 
version of Paul from Pharisaism, and asked, if that was 
fickleness. 

Luther was still obstinate. He had written with a piece 
of chalk on the velvet cover of the table before him, these 
words : This is my body ; saying : " The devil himself shall 
not drive me from that. To seek to understand it, is to 
fall away from the faith." 

Zwingle accused him of always singing the same song, 
and asked him if Christ did not wish to reply to the ques- 
tion, which had been put to him. (John 6.) 

Luther replied : " Master Zwingle, you wish to stop my 
mouth with the arrogancy of your language. That passage 
has nothing to do here." 

Zwingle.— " Pardon me, Doctor; that passage breaks 
your neck." 

Luther, further on in the discussion, said : " Christ's 
body is in the sacrament ; but it is not there as in a place." 

Zwingle. — " Then it is not there at all." 

Luther.- — "Sophists say, that a body may be in several 
places at once ; as the universe, for example, which is a 
body." 



HISTORY OF ULRIC ZWINGLE. 



385 



Zwingle, who had more than one arrow in his quiver, 
went on to disprove this, by exegesis and philosophy, and 
the testimony of the Fathers. 

But Luther still replied : " It is written, This is my 
hodyr 

Zwingle, impatient, said : " All this is idle wrangling. 
An obstinate disputant might also maintain this expression 
of the Saviour: Behold thy son, pointing to St. John. 
* Vain would be any explanation, he would still cry : Behold 
thy son, behold thy son !" 

(Ecolampadius now observed, with regard to Luther's as- 
sertion : "If the body of Christ is not locally present in the 
Eucharist, then no real body is there ; for every one knows 
that the essence of a body is its existence in a place." 

The chancellor of the landgrave now urged the dispu- 
tants to come to an understanding. "I know but one 
means for that," said Luther, " and this is : Let our ad- 
versaries believe as we do." "We cannot," answered the 
Swiss. " Well then," rejoined Luther, " I abandon you to 
the judgments of God, and pray that he will enlighten you." 
"We will do the same," added (Ecolampadius. 

" During these words, Zwingle sat silent, but finally, 
overcome by his feelings and earnest desire for union, he 
burst into tears, in the presence of all." 

The conference was ended. But another effort was made 
to unite before they separated for their homes. 

" Let us carefully avoid," said the Swiss divines, " all 
harsh words and writings, and let each defend himself with- 
out railing." 

Luther, advancing toward the Swiss, said: "We consent, 
and I offer you the hand of peace and charity." 

" The Swiss rushed in great commotion toward the Wit- 
tembergers, and ail shook hands. Luther himself was soft- 
ened. Christian charity resumed her rights in his heart." 
32* 



386 



HISTORY OF ULRIC ZWINGLE. 



"Assuredly," said he, "a great portion of the scandal is 
taken away by the suppression of our fierce debates ; we 
could not have hoped for so much. May Christ's hand re- 
move the last obstacle that separates us. There is now a 
friendly concord between us, and if we persevere in prayer, 
brotherhood will come." 

He was in hopes, however, that this would result from 
the Swiss coming over to his opinion ; for he still secretly 
felt, as he had said before, that they were of a different 
spirit ; and he imagined that his view was essential to sal- 
vation. 

But erring in the latter, he was also mistaken in the 
former ; for Zwingle soon wrote to the landgrave : " Lu- 
theranism will lie as heavy upon us as popery." 

As usual in debates, both sides claimed the victory ; but 
the judgment of history, as expressed by D'Aubigne, is 
nearest to the correct one. He says : "If it should be asked 
on which side the victory really was, perhaps we ought to 
say that Luther assumed the air of a conqueror, but Zwin- 
gle was so in reality." 

Passing by much that is interesting in the life of Zwin- 
gle, we hasten toward the conclusion of his career. 

Zwingle figured conspicuously also as a politician. His 
cherished object was to secure the free preaching of the 
gospel. And for this purpose, he freely gave his advice to 
the people of Zurich and of the other cantons. Neverthe- 
less, such was his strength and superior genius, that he was 
enabled to perform all the labor also of pastor, preacher, 
divine and author. So indefatigable was his activity, that, 
as says D'Aubigne, " There was in this great man enough 
to fill up many lives." 

On the occasion of the execution of a worthy and quiet 
pastor, named Keyser, on a funeral pile, for his religion, 
by the Romish authorities of the canton of Schweitz, Zwin- 



HISTORY OF ULRIC ZWINGLE. 



387 



gle advised energetic measures. "Let us be firm," said 
he, "and fear not to take up arms. We thirst for no 
man's blood; but we will clip the wings of the oligarchy. 
If we shun war, the truth of the gospel and the ministers' 
lives will never be secure among us." Perhaps prudence 
would have dictated a milder course. Zwingle did not think 
so. "Undoubtedly," said he, "we must trust in God 
alone ; but when he gives us a just cause, we must know 
also how to defend it, and like Joshua and Gideon, shed 
blood in behalf of our country and our God." If there 
were any prospect of success, a revolution for religious free- 
dom was justifiable ; only this should have been left more 
exclusively to politicians and the government to direct. 
But Zwingle was the only man that would lead, and there- 
fore, he cast himself into the breach to save his country and 
his religion. 

Some were astonished at his boldness, and doubted if he 
were influenced by the gospel of peace. "Ah! " said one of 
his friends, Myconius, who knew him best, " Zwingle cer- 
tainly was an intrepid man in the midst of danger ; but he 
always had a horror of blood, even of that of his most 
deadly enemies. The freedom of his country, the virtues 
of our forefathers, and above all, the glory of Christ, were 
the sole end of his designs. I speak the truth, as if in the 
presence of God." 

The Romish cantons had entered into an alliance with 
Austria, the ancient enemy of all Switzerland, and muster- 
ed a large force. War seemed inevitable ; but after nego- 
tiating awhile, peace was restored. Although the free 
preaching of the gospel was not secured, liberty of con- 
science was ; and an indemnity was secured to Keyser's 
family. 

The boldness of Zurich, and her war-like demonstrations, 
were successful this time ; but there was another contest 



388 



HISTORY OF ULRIC ZWINGLE. 



at hand. Zwingle had dark forebodings of the future. He 
could not be cheered by the joyful shouts of the people. 
"You will regret this peace," said he, "and smite your 
breasts." About this time, giving vent to his sadness and 
hope, whilst descending the Alps, he composed the follow- 
ing hymn, often sung in the fields of the Swiss, among the 
burghers of their cities, and even in the palaces of kings : 

" Do Thou direct thy chariot, Lord, 

And guide it at thy will ; 
Without thy aid our strength is vain, 

And useless all our skill. 
Look down upon thy saints brought low, 
And prostrate laid beneath the foe. 

Beloved Pastor, who hast saved 
Our souls from death and sin ; 
Uplift thy voice, awake thy sheep, 
That slumbering lie within 
Thy fold, and curb with thy right hand, 
The rage of Satan's furious band. 

Send down thy peace, and banish strife, 

Let bitterness depart ; 
Revive the spirit of the past 
In every Schweitzer's heart ; 
Then shall thy Church forever sing 
The praises of her heavenly king. 

Soon after this treaty of peace, other difficulties arose 
between the Protestant and Popish cantons, but principal- 
ly with regard to the free preaching of the Word. Zwin- 
gle advised his friends to settle the dispute immediately by 
arms. If they were united, he had sanguine hopes of suc- 
cess ; but they were divided in their counsels. The Protes- 
tant cantons were determined upon a measure, which Zwin- 
gle did not approve. It was this : They declared a block- 
ade of the Popish cantons, forbidding their people to carry 
on any commerce with them, or to furnish them in any way 



HISTORY OP ULRIC ZWINGLE. 



with articles of food, &c, ' This was improper and unjust, 
and Zwingle saw in it evil consequences to the Reform. 
The Popish cantons were highly exasperated, and in an un- 
expected moment, they came upon Zurich with a superior 
force to demand satisfaction. 

Zwingle, having been brought by circumstances, as well 
as by his republican education, to take an active part in 
politics, and his advice not being taken, he became heart- 
broken and discouraged. He, therefore, resolved to with- 
draw from Zurich, to seek an asylum elsewhere. He ap- 
peared before the Great Council on the 26th July, 1531, 
with dimmed eyes and disconsolate heart, and said: " For 
eleven years I have been preaching the gospel among you, 
and have warned you faithfully and paternally of the woes 
that are hanging over you ; but no attention has been paid 
to my words. The friends of foreign alliances, the enemies 
of the gospel are elected to the council, and while you re- 
fuse to follow my advice, I am made responsible for every 
misfortune. I cannot accept such a position, and I ask for 
my dismission." He then retired from the hall, his heart 
swelling with emotion too deep for utterance. 

The members of the council, whose old affection and re- 
spect for the man now returned in a double degree, could 
not endure the thought of being left by him. They en- 
treated him to recall his resolution. He asked time for re- 
flection. " He groaned and cried to the L ord." At length 
he said : " I will stay with you, and will labor for the pub- 
lic safety until death." 

Ere long a meeting of delegates of the Protestant can- 
tons, called him to Bremgarten. He repaired to the house 
of Henry Bullinger, his friend and disciple at this time. 
After the conference, he left him, his mind being "filled 
with a presentiment of his death ;" and with moistened eyes 
he said : " my dear Henry, may God protect you ! Be 
faithful to our Lord Jesus Christ, and to his Church." 



390 



HISTORY OF ULRIC ZWINGLE. 



The Zurichers, as well as the other cantons, became less 
and less disposed for war. The people became alarmed. 
Frightful omens were said to appear. Zwingle alone was 
calm. "A heart that fears God," said he, " cares not for 
the threats of the world. To forward the designs of God, 
whatever may happen— this is his task. It is not to those,' 
who fall on the battle-field, that the noblest crown belongs. 
Take courage then in the midst of all these dangers, through 
which the cause of Jesus Christ must pass. Be of good 
cheer ! although we should never here below, see its triumphs 
with our eyes. The judge of the combat beholds us, and 
it is he who confers the crown. Others will enjoy upon 
earth the fruits of our labors, while we already in heaven 
shall enjoy an eternal reward." 

These words were realized. Zwingle soon slept with his 
fathers ; but the cause which he served, and the principles 
for which lie contended, though for a time put back and al- 
most crushed, regained their footing and are now gaining 
ground more and more. 

Zwingle, in obedience to the ancient venerable custom, 
was requested to accompany the army, which had collected 
on the heights of Cappel near Zurich. He did so; having 
a premonition, at the same time, that it would be his last 
service. He was confident in his God, however, that he 
would overrule all for his glory. Said he, " Whatever 
may be my fate, I know that the truth will triumph, even 
when my bones shall long have been reduced to dust," 
Bidding an affectionate adieu to his friends and to Anna, 
his wife, and his children, he mounted his horse and followed 
the troops. Anna gazed after him with " the mild and 
suppliant eye of faith." " Her soul, strong as that of her 
husband, offered to God the sacrifice of her holiest affections." 
On the road, some of his friends expressed their fears for 
his safety. He answered : " Our cause is good : but it is 



HISTORY OF ULRIC ZWINGLE. 



391 



ill defended. It will cost me my life, and that of a num- 
ber of excellent men, who would wish to restore religion to 
its primitive simplicity, and our country to its ancient man- 
ners. No matter ! God will not abandon his servants ; he wtil 
come to their assistance, when you think all is lost.* My 
confidence rests upon him and not upon men ; I submit my- 
self to his will." 

D'Aubigne says ; " For a year past the gayety of the 
reformer had entirely disappeared: he was grave, melan- 
choly, easily moved, having a weight on his heart that 
seemed to crush it. Often would he throw himself weeping 
at the feet of his Master, and seek in prayer the strength 
of which he stood in need." Having resigned ail to the 
hands of God, he calmly proceeded on his way to Cappel. 
Express after express gallopped along the road from the 
camp of the Zurichers, begging this reserve to hasten to 
the defence of their brothers. When crossing the bridge 
of the Sihl, about half way from Cappel, they heard a can- 
non shot. They listen : a second, a third succeeds. Now 
they quicken their step and rush onward, and again they 
are met by messengers, exclaiming: "Hasten forwards." 
At this the horsemen begin to gallop toward the scene of 
action, and before sunset they .arrived with the great ban- 
ner of Zurich and a handful of men to defend it at Cappel. 

As they were preparing to retire to quarters for the night, 
expecting the battle to be resumed in the morning, they 
■were attacked by the enemy. Zwingle's time had come. 
As he was bending over a dying man, speaking words of 



* " This prediction was strikingly verified not long after the death of 
the Reformer. The fatal reverses which the Protestant cantons experi- 
enced, -were followed by a universal peace in the Helvetic confederacy, 
which secured not only the complete establishment of the Reformed reli- 
gion in several of the cantons, but liberty of conscience to the Protest- 
ants in those places where the Roman Catholic religion was still adhered 
to by the majority of the inhabitants," 



392 



HISTORY OF ULRIC ZWINGLE* 



consolation in bis ear, a stone hurled by a soldier bit him 
on the bead and stopped bis words. He reeled and fell, but 
rose again. A second time be was stricken down by a blow 
on bis leg. Again be rose. A third time he fell and again 
be rose. Well adapted is this successive falling and rising, 
to suggest the thought of the poet : 

" Truth crushed to earth Trill rise again.'* 

The fourth time he received a thrust from a lance above 
his breast, and sinking fell upon his knees. This is She 
dark hour for Zwingle ; but in the midst of all, he triumphs. 
As he beheld the blood trickling down his breast, his mao-- 
nanimous soul exclaims : " Eequid hoc infortunati f Age ! 
corpus quidem occidere possunt ; animam non possunt. 
What ! is this a misfortune ? Ah ! they may indeed kill the 
body ; but they cannot kill the soul." These were the last 
words of Zwingle. He immediately fell backward and ex- 
pired under a pear tree, which was long pointed out to suc- 
ceeding generations as " Zwingle's pear tree." As belay 
here with bis dying eyes lifted to heaven, be was asked : 
"Do you wish for a priest to confess yourself?" Not able 
to speak, be made signs in the negative. Again, he was 
asked, and again he shook his head. A soldier then came 
up who recognized him, and taking his sword, struck him 
on the throat, saying : " Die, obstinate heretic." 

Thus died Zwingle, a martyr for religious liberty, and a 
man who, if he had been favored with proper circumstances, 
would have accomplished one of the gieatest works ever 
achieved by human genius; and whose example, as it is, is 
destined to effect yet much good in coming time. He died 
at the age of forty six, having accomplished but little of his 
designs ; but his words and his deeds and his spirit exerted 
a great influence upon his times and upon those who suc- 
ceeded him, especially upon Calvin, and, through him, upon 
England, and the United States, in which countries his 



HISTORY OF ULRIC ZWINGLE. 



398 



words and deeds find a welcome echo, and a true and warm 
reception. 

As Zwingle lay under the pear tree, a crowd of soldiers 
pressed around the body, " surprised at the sight of their 
most formidable enemy stretched lifeless on the plain." 
One, who once loved him, said : " He has the look of a 
living, rather than a dead man. Such was he, when he 
kindled the people by the fire of his eloquence." Another 
who formerly resided in Zurich and retired to Zug at the 
epoch of the Reformation, could not restrain his tears. 
" Whatever may have been thy creed," said he, " I know, 
Zwingle, that, thou hast been a loyal confederate ! May 
thy soul rest with God !" 

Those, who favored the foreign service, however, and 
the Roman faith, and on whom Zwingle never ceased to 
make war, were not so friendly disposed. They demanded 
that the body should be divided into five portions, each of 
which should be sent to one of the five Catholic cantons, to 
be burnt for heresy. Some cried, " Peace be to the dead ! let 
God be his judge now." But vain was their cry. His en= 
emies agreed to divide his body and burn it. The decision 
was carried out, and flames consumed the disjointed mem- 
bers, and his ashes, first trampled under foot, were flung to 
the four winds of heaven. 

This event gave rise to the following tribute of respect 
to his memory, by the learned Beza : 

Zwinglius arderet gemino quurti sanctus ainore, . 
Nenipe Dei imprimis, deinde enim Patriae ; 
Dicitur in solidum se devovisse duobus, 
Nempe Deo imprimis, deinde enim Patriae; 
Quam bene persolvit simul istis vota duobus ; 
Pro patria animis, pro pietate cinis." 

It may be thus translated : 

When the breast of holy Zwingle glowed with two-fold love, 
First to his God, and then to his own dear native land ; 

33 



394 CONCLUDING REMARKS, 

'Tis said he gave himself unceasingly to serve them both ; 
First his God and then his own beloved native land. 
Well has he performed his part : his vows fulfilled in death ! 
Mangled and slain for his country ; burnt for his religion," 



CONCLUDING REMARKS. 

Zwingle was essentially a man of peace. True, he had 
much of the warlike element in his nature, and circumstan- 
ces brought him into the camp and on the battle field ; yet, 
he had no more of a contentious spirit, than was sufficient 
to make him earnest and useful. In public life, when ad- 
vising rulers, he maintained the right and duty of rulers to 
punish evil doers, and also the right of revolution in the 
people, when governments did not accomplish their design.. 
This right he considered as given them of God. The pow- 
ers that be— the governments— are ordained of God : and 
if they do not accomplish his will, in the main, it is the duty 
of the people, in whom is vested the right, to overturn and 
change them. Zwingle contended for the rights of man 
and the rights of God. He instructed the people to obey 
the laws of the land, whatever they were, provided they 
did not interfere with their duty to their God and their 
opinions in religious matters. In this he imitated Christ. 

In private life— in the pastorate— and as a citizen, he 
was accustomed to receive insults and injuries without re- 
taliation. He did not return evil for evil ; but by kindness 
and charity he won many hearts to Christ and to the refor- 
mation. It was not because he could not make himself 
felt by vindictiveness and repartee, that he did not con- 



CONCLUDING REMARKS. 



395 



tend in a boisterous manner, and quarrel with men in the 
streets and in public places. The spirit of a Christian gen- 
tleman, more than the studied art of politeness, kept him 
from such rudeness, while at the same time it prompted 
him, in mildness and firmness, to drop a word for Christ 
by the way, and, in his public ministrations, to attack all 
forms of vice and error ; for, on all proper occasions, and 
in his sermons he would make offenders quail before the 
force of God's truth. In this he was like Christ, of whom 
it was prophesied, that he should ;i not cry, nor lift up, nor 
cause his voice to be heard in the streets;'' that he should 
not make any public ostentation or show of his abilities, 
and sound a trumpet before him, and employ worldly and 
carnal ways for advancing his cause ; but who, on fit occa- 
sions, denounced the rulers of the Jews, as scribes, phari- 
sees, hypocrites. 

The tenor of Zwingle's conduct was mild and aifable. 
He breathed the spirit of that gospel, which proclaims peace 
on earth and good will to men. The love of Christ, that 
true bond of union which should bind together the brother- 
hood of man, constrained him. A true Christian feeling is 
not a vindictive or revengeful feeling. How often is this 
forgotten ! Charity, which is the greatest Christian virtue, 
is the least cultivated. How easily are we tempted to be 
revenged. True, we cannot but be roused to anger bv 
wicked actions in others, but we should not become the ex- 
ecutors of punishment. There is the law of the land, to 
which recourse may be had, and the judgment day will set- 
tle all disputes. There is a God to whom vengeance belong- 
eth. The Quakers have given us a good example, in their 
application to private life, of the virtues of kindness and 
peace ; although, in other respects, their doctrines lead to 
infidelity, In the cultivation of a spirit of kindness, we 
would do well to remember the Quakers and others, as well 



396 



CONCLUDING REMARKS 



as Christ, who have given us examples of kindness, and 
have shown that it is both possible and practicable. 

The world is yet far behind what it ought to be, in the 
exercise of this virtue. We natter ourselves, that we are, 
in a great measure, free from a spirit of war and persecu- 
tion ; but considering his times and circumstances, Zwingle 
will bear a comparison with the best of us. It has been 
said : " Kindness kills the devil.'' Zwingle's kindness and 
generosity killed the demon of malice in many of his ene- 
mies. Even after his death, his kind and tolerant spirit 
influenced his enemies, as is shown by the religious tolera- 
tion which ensued. We here bid adieu to Zwingle, hooino- 
to meet him in the land of peace, where truth forever tri- 
umphs. 



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